...garnished with trout cakes!

I know it sounds a little strange.  But I had just taken a willy-nilly tour through Wegmans and this was what I came up with given the head-scratching set of ingredients I now had at hand.  And, when all was said and done, I'll take full credit for a well planned and fully realized great meal. 

The soup was basically half this recipe, with a sliced bulb of fennel roasted along with the tomatoes. 

The basic composition and technique for the fish cakes was from A Taste of Indochina but I moved the flavors away from the Asian to something that would blend better with the soup.  I think any flaky white fish will probably work.

Lemon Basil Ginger Trout Cakes

1/2 lb Trout fillet (skin removed)
1 Tbsp Ginger, minced
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
2 Shallots, peeled
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
A few leaves of basil
1 Egg

Pulse everything in a food processor until blended but not turned into a smooth paste.  It should still look pretty heterogeneous.  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat.  Wet hands a bit and form about three tablespoons of the mixture into a patty about half an inch thick.  The mixture will be quite wet, so just kinda flop it onto the pan, it will firm up.  Flip when first side is golden brown (~3 minutes).  Remove to paper towels after other side is golden and sprinkle with a bit of salt.  Continue with the rest.  This made eight. 

You should try it.  This is one of my favorite cheese finds of late.  It's a spanish cow's milk cheese with a paprika and olive oil rind that I find as accessible as cheddar.  There's a more detailed description of it here from the Cheese of the Month Club.  They describe the romantic locales, ancient techniques, and generations of small farms that have produced this cheese.  It sounds wondrous and magical.  But whenever I find myself getting caught up in romanticized European ideals I make myself think of this enlightening Onion article that should be required reading for kids studying abroad. 

That said, it really is a yummy cheese.