Wine + Herbs: Sauvignon-Baked Trout with Herbed Celery Root Mash

article image
Photo by Povy Kendal Atchison

Pair It With: Sauvignon Blanc (or other crisp, dry white wine)

Serves 4

Sauvignon-Baked Trout:

• 4 trout filets
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• Bottle Sauvignon Blanc
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 large leek (white and light green parts), sliced into rounds
• 1 medium carrot, shaved into thin pieces

1. Place fish in large container for brining. Mix salt, garlic and wine together, and pour over fish. Tuck in bay leaves. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter, thyme and pepper in a heavy skillet, and add the leek and carrot. Heat on medium-high until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place each fish skin-side down in a large roasting pan. Cover with vegetable mixture, dot with a few small pats of butter, then pour wine over. Set the skillet aside. Roast until fish is opaque in center, about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Transfer the fish and vegetables to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Pour the liquid back into skillet, and boil until reduced by about half. Remove thyme and bay leaves, and add remaining butter. Whisk until butter is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Herbed Celery Root Mash:

• 1 head garlic 
• 1/4 cup veggie or chicken stock
• 2 large celery root bulbs, peeled and cubed
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons horseradish, grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic head on its side, and slice about 1?4 inch off the top. Set the head on its base, on a 2-by-2-inch square of aluminum foil. Drizzle half of stock over it, and pinch the foil closed at the top. Bake until cloves are soft, about 15 minutes.

2. Add celery root and potato to boiling salted water, and boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and add to a mixing bowl. Depending on how much you love garlic, squeeze as many of the roasted garlic cloves as you would like into the bowl. Add cream, butter, horseradish and remaining stock, and beat just until everything is soft and fully incorporated. Fold in chives and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To serve, spoon a small mound of celery root mash onto each plate and flatten slightly. Forming a well, spoon some of the vegetable mixture into the center of each mound. Place a fish filet, skin-side down, against and slightly over the mash. Ladle a spoonful of the white wine sauce over each plate, and serve immediately.


Tabitha Alterman is the food editor at Mother Earth News and Natural Home magazines. She wonders if a small-fishbowl-sized glass counts as ONE glass of wine.

Click here for the main article, 50 Ways to Pair Wine with Herbs.

  • Published on Jan 13, 2011
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-800-456-6018
Free health and natural beauty tips from Mother Earth News!