Serving seafood whole is such a beautiful presentation and has minimal prep. The cavity of the fish is stuffed with lemon, onion, garlic and fresh herbs. As it roast, the fish is permeated all the way through with these aromatic ingredients. The cooked fish is really flaky, delicate and juicy.
I was grocery shopping one afternoon when Sergi called me to let me know that he would be home late from work that day. As I was passing the fish counter, I noticed these beautiful whole trout catching my attention. I knew this would be the perfect meal for that night. I could whip it up very quickly when he finally came home and it would be on the table in no time, which is a good thing, since we were both famished. Also, we don't like to eat anything too heavy late at night, so this light and aromatic dish was exactly what we needed.
Simple recipes are sometimes the very best in taste as well. The main ingredients really shine. In this case the trout is juicy and tender and is permeated all the way through with the aromatic essence of herbs, lemons, garlic and onions. Served simply with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice, I tell you, it made my tastebuds sing. Serving seafood whole is such a beautiful and elegant presentation. How about serving this on a date night or even when you have company? Everybody will be so impressed and you only have 5 minutes of prep and the rest is up to the oven.
What Fish Should Be Used For This Recipe?
Usually I use whole rainbow trout for this recipe, but you can also use other whole fish, such as sea bass, snapper, haddock, catfish, steelhead trout, etc. If the fish are approximately 1 pound in weight, each, or less, they will cook quickly, just like instructed in this recipe.
If you want to use large whole fillets, the fish will take longer to cook through.
Preparing the Fish
When you buy whole fish from the supermarket or fish market in most American stores, the fish is often scaled and the innards are removed. If not, you can ask the fishmonger to do it for you, or, if you're brave, you will have to do that yourself. You can choose to keep the fins, head and tail on or off, it's completely up to you. If won't affect the cooking time.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish. 
Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and in the inside cavity as well. 
Stuff the cavity of the fish with the slices of lemon, garlic, onion and herbs. 
Rub the olive oil over the top surface of both fish.
Roasting the Trout
Roast the fish in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and roast the fish for another 5-7 minutes, until golden and slightly charred in some places.
Serve the fish whole, with a bit more olive oil and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Roasted Whole Trout With Lemon and Herbs
Serving seafood whole is such a beautiful presentation and has minimal prep. The cavity of the fish is stuffed with lemon, onion, garlic and fresh herbs. As it roast, the fish is permeated all the way through with these aromatic ingredients. The cooked fish is really flaky, tender and juicy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 2 whole trout (10-12 oz each, cleaned and gutted)
- salt (pepper)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon (sliced)
- 1-2 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 1 small onion (very thinly sliced)
- fresh dill and parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish.
- Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and in the inside cavity as well.
- Stuff the cavity of the fish with the slices of lemon, garlic, onion and herbs.
- Rub the olive oil over the top surface of both fish.
- Roast the fish in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and roast the fish for another 5-7 minutes, until golden and slightly charred in some places. Serve the fish whole, with a bit more olive oil and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Yields: 2-4 servings
Very good, will be making this again. Thank you!
That's wonderful, Bernadette. I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to write.
Wow this was so easy and tasted amazing! Going to be a staple recipe now. Thank you!
How long should bake a 5lb trout?
A 5 lb trout is much larger than the ones I baked in this recipe, which were both less than 1 lb each, so I would recommend baking for about 30 minutes and checking the internal temperature. It may take longer with such a large fish. It should be 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit in the center for fish to be cooked through.
I used this recipe for my first time ever cooking a whole fish (I've always just bought fillets before) and it was glorious! Thank you. Your instructions were on point. I didn't have parsley or dill so I subbed in sprigs of sage and it was still awesome. I've never had onions with a fish before (except in pickled herrings) - loved the slight crunch!
It's so the fish cooks through evenly.
Why do you make diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish?
Why do you make those diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish?
hi i am from Nepal and cooked exactly how you have shown above and it tasted amazing.
This is an awesomely good and simple recipe! Made it today for the first time but also cut a head of garlic in to roast as well I enjoyed every bite 😋
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Sheena.
Lovely! My Uncle is a fisherman and one of his passions is trout fishing in Northern California. I've enjoyed your recipe for trout many times. Thank you for the simplicity for a healthful and yummy way to enjoy this beautiful fish!
That's wonderful, Rene. I'm so happy that you enjoy this recipe.
Simple, lovely recipe - done this dish today and it was amazing!!
Definitely will do again - thank you!!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Wiga. Thank you for taking the time to write.
I saw this recipe and was so excited to have a use for the fresh dill I just planted...oops several days ago I guess, be it hadn't been watered and was shriveled and grey. The recipe was still good with fresh thyme and parsley instead. Also, I was too lazy to dig down to the bottom of my crisper drawer for the onion so I just used some green onions instead. At the last second I tossed a few cherry tomatoes on top and liked their cheerful color and zippy taste. I do wish I had dried the fish well before oiling--the skin would have been crisper--but it was still perfectly yummy and lower calorie than breaded and fried. A tasty, forgiving recipe--thanks! I'll be making it again.
I'm so happy you enjoyed the meal, Marta:).
This recipe turned out perfect! We were given some whole trout and I wasn't sure what to do with it, found your recipe and followed it to a tee! Thank you so much! Definitely saving this one!
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the trout, Barbara! Thanks for taking the time to write.