Big Green Egg Hay-Baked Lamb with Roasted Veggies

Chef John Cox’s Steelhead Trout Grilled Over Wild Fennel Fronds

This is a wonderful dish to help bring in the upcoming grilling season. Steelhead is native to rivers along the Central Coast and has a color and richness that is more similar to salmon than trout. Using the fennel as a bed for cooking the fish imparts a sweet licorice flavor and also releases steam which helps keep the filet from drying out.

Ingredients 2 steelhead trout filets (approximately 1 pound per filet, skin on, pin bones pulled) 1 bunch fennel fronds and stems 1 Meyer lemon (cut in half on equator) 2 tablespoons sea salt 2 tablespoons local olive oil (preferably herbaceous and spicy) 1 teaspoon wild fennel pollen 1 teaspoon espelette pepper

Squeeze one side of the lemon onto the two filets. Season the filets with salt, fennel pollen, and espelette. Drizzle the olive oil over the filets and gently massage to work into the flesh. Slice the remaining lemon half and lay over the steelhead.

Set the EGG for direct cooking at 350°F/177°C. Place the fennel directly on the grill grates. Put the steelhead skin down on the fennel. Close the lid and let the fish cook for 7 to 8 minutes. The fish is done when the flesh has turned a pale pink and flakes to the touch. Serves 4–6.

The Orcas Hotel is one of the iconic landmarks of the San Juan Islands located in the Pacific Northwest. It has been welcoming travelers since 1904. Whether you stay for the night in one of the Victorian rooms or join us for a meal overlooking the Salish Sea and Orcas Ferry Landing, you are sure to enjoy the property’s rich history and warm island hospitality.

John Cox and Julia Felder purchased the Orcas Hotel in 2020. Originally from Washington, D.C., Julia is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in London and Cambridge University. John was raised in Northern New Mexico, but has spent the last two decades cooking his way around the Pacific, from Hana, Maui, to Big Sur. John and Julia met while working at the acclaimed Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. After living in Astoria, Oregon, they fell in love with the climate and camaraderie of the Pacific Northwest, in part because it reminds them of Scotland where they were married. Searching for a place to finally put down some roots, they found the hotel of their dreams on Orcas Island. They are proud to be the stewards of this unique property and to help write its next chapter. Brooks, also pictured, is their dog.