Written by Daniel Necuda
Smoked trout with dill sauce is a recipe that originated in South Moravia. You might wonder why exactly people from South Moravia came up with such a recipe.
Well, one of the reasons is that there is a huge and long-standing fishing tradition in South Moravia, dating back to the times when Moravia was part of Austria-Hungary. During the course of history many fishing clubs formed, for a variety of reasons. These clubs tried to somewhat control and restrict fishermen to prevent certain kinds of fish from becoming extinct. They also organized certain events called “Fishing Trips,” during which people would travel from their villages to a previously agreed upon location where a fishing-themed feast would take place.
Considering this history, it is no surprise that the recipe featured here, for a dish that consists mostly of trout, a type of fish abundant in Czech streams, would come from South Moravia. But why would someone combine delicious trout with dill sauce?
The answer to this question is obvious: dill is a very special herb that is grown on only a few fields in the Czech lands, most of which are in Moravia. It is also an herb used mostly to flavor meat, soups, sauces or salads, so it was a perfect choice to pair it with trout.
The final step leading to the creation of this recipe was smoking the trout. Of course, no one wants to eat raw fish, so the Moravians decided to smoke it in order to cook it, possibly to preserve it and also to give it a distinctive flavor. And this is how smoked trout with dill sauce came to be!
For more information about the South Moravia region, from which this recipe comes, click here.
1 smoked trout (approx. 1 lb)
juice from a half a lemon
1 cup sour cream
fresh dill sprigs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Squeeze lemon juice from half a lemon into the sour cream. Cut the fresh dill finely, add it to the sour cream, and then stir it. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Take the smoked trout, slice it neatly, put it on a plate, and then pour the dill sauce over it. Serve the meal cold.
Serve with a side of sourdough rye bread, hotdog buns, sliced white bread, or vegetable salad.
