Recipes › Watercress › Watercress, Smoked Trout and Horseradish Tart
Watercress, Smoked Trout and Horseradish Tart
A proper British tart built around a thick, peppery layer of watercress stirred into a horseradish cream custard with flakes of smoked trout running through it. The filling is set in a buttery shortcrust case and has a deep savoury richness that makes it every bit as good warm from the oven as it is cold the next day. This is the kind of thing that gets requested again and again once you have made it.
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Ingredients
- 150 g watercress, thick stems removed, roughly chopped
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
- 3 tbsp cold water
- 200 g smoked trout fillets, skin removed, flesh flaked into large piecesor use hot-smoked salmon
- 200 ml double cream
- 100 ml whole milk
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp creamed horseradishor use 1 tbsp freshly grated horseradish
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 15 g unsalted butter
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- ½ lemon, zest only
Contains: cereals gluten, eggs, fish, milk.
Method
- Make the pastry. Put the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with a few larger flakes still visible — do not over-rub. Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork until the dough just comes together. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.About 10 min
- Heat the oven to 190°C fan. Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick and use it to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing gently into the edges and leaving a little overhang. Prick the base all over with a fork, line with baking paper, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base is dry and pale golden. Trim any overhanging pastry with a sharp knife.About 25 min
- While the pastry bakes, melt the 15g butter in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the chopped watercress and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until wilted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.About 8 min
- In a large jug, whisk together the double cream, milk, beaten eggs, creamed horseradish, lemon zest, salt and black pepper until well combined.About 2 min
- Reduce the oven to 170°C fan. Scatter the sautéed watercress and shallot evenly over the base of the blind-baked tart case. Distribute the flaked smoked trout pieces evenly over the top. Pour the cream and egg mixture slowly over the filling — pour it close to the surface to avoid displacing the filling. The custard should come close to the top of the pastry.About 3 min
- Carefully transfer the tart to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes until the custard is just set with the faintest wobble in the very centre. It will firm up as it cools. Allow to rest in the tin for at least 10 minutes before slicing.About 35 min
Tips
- Do not squeeze the watercress dry after wilting — a little residual moisture in the filling is fine and the flavour is better for it.
- The tart is genuinely better served at room temperature than straight from the oven. The custard slices more cleanly and the flavours settle and deepen. Make it 30 minutes ahead if you can.
- Check your horseradish — jars vary wildly in heat. Taste yours before adding it to the custard and add a little more if yours is mild.
Ring the changes
- Replace the smoked trout with 150g of crumbled soft goat's cheese for a fully vegetarian version — the tang works beautifully with the horseradish and watercress.
- For a lighter weekday version, use a shop-bought all-butter shortcrust pastry sheet and blind bake as above — this halves the prep time significantly.
Keeping it
Cool completely before storing. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature or warm in a 150°C oven for 10 minutes before serving. Do not freeze as the custard filling will weep on thawing.
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