Spotlight on: Our Loch Etive smoked trout

Posted on August 23, 2016 by admin

The lochs and streams of the Scottish Highlands have been the cornerstone for generations of fishermen and women, and we are really pleased to be celebrating their produce on our menu with RR Spink & Sons’ smoked trout. The trout we use is served in one of our starters with trout roe, rock samphire, crispy skin and crème fraiche, is sourced exclusively from Loch Etive.

RR Spink & Sons are expert salmon and trout smokers, originally founded in 1715, it is still a family run business. They draw on the inspiration of the surrounding environment, using native wood and traditional methods to created their smoked fish.

The trout is then cured, smoked, sliced and finished individually by hand in the ancestral home of RR Spink & Sons, the town of Arbroath. Every step from loch to plate is traceable, and it is this dedication to the use of skills and traditions of the past, the best quality ingredients, and specific wood in preparing the salmon and trout, that make the fish so distinctive.

RR Spink hold a RSPCA Assured endorsement for sustainable farming, because of the way they rear their trout, which mimics the way the fish live in the wild. What is essential for this is flowing water and plenty of space. They also have a Royal Warrant, which is a mark of recognition to organisations that supply the royal households of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales.

To prepare the RR Spink Kiln Roast Loch Trout, they smoke the fillets for two hours, with 100% Oak wood. In each kiln there are up to 644 fillets smoked at a time; this may sound like a lot but is actually a small number in comparison to other smokers, and allows for each ‘slide’ (as the fillets are called) to be laid out evenly. The Cold Smoked Loch Etive Trout is smoked longer, for a minimum of 6.5 hours, in 70% Oak and 30% Applewood, with only 400 slides per kiln.

At aqua shard we are the only restaurant in London that uses Loch Etive trout. Executive Chef Dale Osborne uses the Cold Smoked Loch Etive trout for our starter dish, and it is also used in our weekend brunch menu with our Free-range omelette, dill crème fraiche, trout roe and watercress.

Click here to book a table and try our smoked Loch Etive trout dishes!

Here are some images of Loch Etive and the fishermen who fish and smoke the trout.