A Fishy Story

Looking to popularise the famous Rainbow Trout in local restaurants and hotels of the region,the Department of Fisheries of Himachal Pradesh is set to roll out a two-day festival and exposition called Him-Fish Festival from tomorrow. An unimaginative name notwithstanding,the event will be held at Himachal Bhawan,Sector 28,and promises a flavoursome spread. A tasting session was held at the Pashtun restaurant in Sector 35 on Thursday.

Interestingly,the successful transfer of Rainbow Trout farming technology under the foreign-aided project with the Norwegian government in Himachal Pradesh has led to large quantities of trout being produced each year in government and private trout farms. “For the first time in history,the state will be able to produce over 200 metric tonnes of trout in 2012-13 from both private and public sectors. This figure is expected to increase on a year-to-year basis,” said Gurcharan Singh,Director-cum-warden of Fisheries,Himachal Pradesh.

A rich source of Omega-3,the fish is ideal for low-fat diets and is also packed with iron,calcium,selenium and vitamins A,B1,B2,B6 and B12. “Though it’s an expensive fish,we want to promote it as a delicacy of Himachal Pradesh,” added Singh as we tucked into a freshly baked trout served with butter and peppercorn sauce. The fish comes easy off the bone and melts in the mouth.

According to Chef Sanjiv Verma,who put together the spread,it also cooks within minutes. “There are hardly any restaurants that have trout on their menus but now,with the Himachal Pradesh government looking to promote it in the region,it won’t be long before the fish finds takers,” said Verma. Apart from Continental dishes,the festival also offers Himachali dishes as well as North Indian delicacies such as fish tikka. The latter,which we sampled,was spicy and worth a bite. The festival,free to the public,will also highlight different trout recipes and the status of fisheries in the state.