Hot Smoked Trout & Pickled Onions

FOR THE TROUT:

1. Fillet the trout carefully so as not to damage the flesh. Remove the pin bones from each fillet. (For a visual explanation on how to do this, look at the related blog post.)

2. Set up your smoker and lay the two fillets skin side down on the grill. Cover it and smoke for 7 minutes. Remove the lid and flip the fillet over flesh side down and smoke it for 7 minutes more.

3. Lay the fillets carefully on a cutting board flesh side down. The skin will peel off easily if you start from one end and peel it back to the other. This will be your presentation side.

4. Drizzle this side with olive oil and salt and garnish with the pickled onion vinaigrette.

FOR THE PICKLED ONION VINAIGRETTE:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan (reserve the olive oil and lemon juice for later use), simmer and reduce until ingredients are tender.

2. Finish the vinaigrette by whisking in olive oil and a drop of lemon juice.