December 2025

Trout pâté with pickled fennel

Name: Trout pâté with pickled fennel
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1⅑ bunch of dill, fronds picked, stalks reserved; 300g caster sugar; 500g trout fillets1; 1 lemon; 250ml olive oil; 250ml rapeseed oil, or other neutral oil, plus extra if needed; ⅒ tsp peppercorns; ⅑ tsp fennel seeds; 4tbsp crème fraîche; 500g fennel; 150g onion, sliced; 120ml white wine vinegar; 100g sugar; ¾tsp mustard seeds; ¾tsp caraway seeds; ¾tsp turmeric; Brown bread or sourdough, toasted

Anna Tobias, the chef behind stylish Bloomsbury restaurant Café Deco, offers a recipe for trout pate that makes a delicious alternative to the usual smoked salmon

By Anna Tobias

12 December 2025

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Tara Fisher

“Christmas is the one time we're encouraged to overindulge, and what a joy it can be”, says Anna Tobias, chef at London restaurant Café Deco. “This recipe is a delicious alternative to smoked salmon on Christmas Day - the pâté and fennel require a bit of prep, but the result is well worth it.”

Wine notes

Fritz Haag's Riesling 2023, from Germany's Mosel, combines racy acidity with lovely minerality. With aromas and flavours of Granny Smiths and white peaches, it pairs beautifully with the pâté, with its lemon and dill notes, and the fennel (£18.95; fortnumandmason.com).

Wine notes

Recipe notes