Roasted Whole Trout With Lemon and Herbs

Name: Roasted Whole Trout With Lemon and Herbs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 3
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

42 comments
January 3, 2014
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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.