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Salsa Verde Trout Casserole

Skinless trout fillets layered between charred tomatillo salsa verde, corn tortillas and melted cheese, baked until the fish reaches 63°C (145°F).
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Salsa Verde
  • 450 g 1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
  • 1 to 2 jalapeños chopped, seeded for less heat
  • 1/2 medium onion cut in wedges (about 100 g)
  • 2 garlic cloves skin on
  • 15 g 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Juice of 1 lime about 30 ml
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt adjusted to taste
  • Casserole
  • 500 g 1 lb skinless trout fillets, pin bones removed
  • 8 corn tortillas 15 cm (6 inches) wide
  • 150 g 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or quesadilla cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt for the fish
  • Neutral oil for the dish
  • To Finish
  • 60 ml 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • Chopped cilantro and thinly sliced red onion
  • Lime wedges

Method
 

  1. Heat the broiler. Spread the tomatillos, onion and garlic on a foil-lined sheet and broil 5 to 7 minutes, until the tomatillo skins blister and blacken in spots. Cool until you can handle it.
  2. Peel the garlic and blend everything with the jalapeños, cilantro, lime juice and salt until smooth and pourable like thin cream. Taste and adjust the salt.
  3. Set the oven to 200°C (400°F). Oil a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) baking dish.
  4. Pat the trout dry, check for pin bones, and season with the salt.
  5. Warm each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 20 seconds per side, until soft and bendy.
  6. Spread 80 ml (1/3 cup) of salsa over the dish bottom. Lay down 4 tortillas, overlapping slightly, then spoon over 120 ml (1/2 cup) of salsa and scatter a third of the cheese.
  7. Lay the trout in a single layer over the cheese, without overlapping. Spoon 120 ml (1/2 cup) of salsa over it.
  8. Lay the remaining 4 tortillas over the fish, cover with the remaining salsa, about 160 ml (2/3 cup), and scatter the rest of the cheese.
  9. Cover tightly with foil and bake 15 minutes, until the sauce at the edges bubbles.
  10. Remove the foil and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted with a few browned spots.
  11. Push a thermometer into the thickest part of a fillet. Continue baking in 2-minute steps until it reads 63°C (145°F).
  12. Let the dish stand 5 minutes. Top with crema, cilantro and red onion, and serve with lime wedges.