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Smoked-Trout Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit
© John Kernick

Smoked-Trout Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit

Contributed by and
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 10
  • •FAST
  • •HEALTHY
  • •STAFF-FAVORITE

When presenting their lemony smoked-fish salad, Animal co-chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo spread out the colorful ingredients—avocados, grapefruit, radishes, arugula and chunks of smoked trout—on plates. For a garnish, the pair ingeniously bake the smoked-trout skin until it's crisp, then break it up into shards.

  1. 4 boneless smoked-trout fillets with skin
  2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
  3. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  5. 2 red grapefruits
  6. 2 Hass avocados, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  7. 3 cups arugula
  8. 2 Belgian endives, cut into 1-inch lengths
  9. 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  10. 4 large radishes, very thinly sliced
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Remove the skin from the trout. On a rimmed baking sheet, rub the skin with olive oil, then bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp. Flake the trout into 1-inch pieces.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the 1/4 cup of oil with the lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Using a sharp knife, peel the grapefruits, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections into the bowl. Cut the sections into 1-inch pieces.
  4. In a medium bowl, gently toss the avocados with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. In a large bowl, toss the arugula, endives and red onion with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Add the grapefruit pieces, sliced radishes and smoked trout and the remaining dressing and toss gently. Add the avocados. Spread the salad out on plates. Break the trout skin into shards, scatter over the salads and serve.

Suggested Pairing

Because of the cool ocean winds, white wines grown in coastal regions often show grapefruit-like flavors—including Sauvignon Blanc (the classic), Vermentino from Italy and Albariño from Spain. Any of them would be delicious with this smoked-trout salad.