Trucha Patagónica

Patagonian trout is the emblematic fish of the lake district around Bariloche, El Bolson and Esquel, where rainbow and brown trout thrive in the glacier-fed lakes and rivers introduced in the early 20th century. The fish grow large and clean-flavoured in the cold, oxygen-rich waters. The most prized preparation is cold-smoking, which preserves the fish while deepening its flavour, but it is also grilled whole over coals, baked, or pan-fried in butter. Smoked trout is sliced thin and eaten with bread, cheese and Patagonian wine; grilled trout is served with lemon and herbs. The trout fishing tradition is central to the region's identity, and the fish is on every restaurant menu from November to March.

Clean, firm, delicate trout with a pure cold-water flavour, whether silky-smoked and sliced thin or grilled whole with crisp skin and tender flesh. The smoking gives a subtle wood-smoke depth; the grilling gives char. Eaten with lemon and a view of the lakes.

The two preparations showcase the trout differently. For smoking, whole trout are filleted, salt-brined for a few hours, rinsed, and cold-smoked over hardwood at a temperature below 30 degrees C for 8 to 12 hours, the fish cooking only by drying and absorbing smoke, not by heat. The result is a silky, translucent, smoke-perfumed fish sliced thin. For grilling, whole trout are scaled and gutted, scored, rubbed with oil, salt and herbs, and grilled over moderate coals about 8 minutes per side until the skin crisps and the flesh flakes. Both methods rely on the freshness and quality of the fish, which the glacier-fed Patagonian lakes provide in abundance.