Baked Whole Rainbow Trout

Baked Whole Rainbow Trout

Baked Whole Rainbow Trout

I love cooking whole fish; especially rainbow trout. They’re fairly inexpensive and require little prep work to yield a fulfilling meal. When you buy rainbow trout, they will come with or without the backbone. If they come with the backbone, I recommend butterflying the fillets on each side of the fish. By doing this, the fillets will get properly seasoned. If the trout comes without a backbone, you can straight up season and stuff the fish directly inside the cavity. Most rainbow trout weigh between 1 – 1 1/4lb. They will take approximately 20-25 minutes in a preheated 400° oven. You can also broil or grill these fish; taking about half the time as baking.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: fish, how to make, main course, signature dishes
Servings: 2
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 2 whole rainbow trout cleaned; 1-1 1/4lb each
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • salt
  • cracked black pepper
  • lemon slices

Instructions

  • Rinse the trout under cold water.If your trout still has the backbone, butterfly open each side of the fish, slicing across the back down to the tail. If the trout doesn’t have a backbone, skip this step.
  • Rub the inside and outside with olive oil. Season the inside and outside with salt and pepper. Season the inside with oregano. Put 2 slices of lemon on the inside of each of the butterflied fillets. If the fish hasn’t a backbone, put the lemon slices inside of the cavity.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the trout on a baking sheet lined in parchment paper.
  • Bake the fish for 20-25 minutes.

Serve either whole or remove the fillets from the backbone and cut off the head.