It’s been quite some time since my last fish recipe, where I made a trout with herb salsa. But why prepare only a simple fish, when you can make a bacon stuffed rainbow trout? Yes, bacon and fish together. In fact, this trout is filled with bacon. Oh boy, I am smiling only by thinking about it.
You might think bacon doesn’t go with fish. Wrong. Bacon and fish go perfectly together. Wink. But how did I come up with this idea? Once I ate trout wrapped in prosciutto in red wine sauce. This dish was my inspiration for the bacon-wrapped trout and this recipe right here too.
The trout and bacon are the perfect opposites that attract each other. On one side we have lean and tender fish with a light sweet note. On the other side, there is greasy and crispy bacon with a wonderful salty touch. It’s almost like a kind of surf and turf dish.
Trout is a wonderful fish
Sometimes the trout is simply overlooked when talking about midweek lunch or dinner. Preparing the trout in your oven is simple and quick, where minimal effort is required. In fact, one of the reasons why I also like this dish is, that you only need a small pan and a baking dish for it. Thumbs up for less cleaning. He he.
Furthermore, also this time I couldn’t skip the fresh herb salsa. It simply belongs to the fish. Moreover, by combining some fresh herbs, garlic, onion and orange, you can prepare it in only a couple of minutes. If you find garlic too strong, don’t use it. The salsa is going to taste delicious as well without it.
Just before going to the recipe itself, here are a couple of tips, which will make bacon stuffed rainbow trout superb. First, buying a fresh trout is a must. You know what I am talking about; no funny smell, clear eyes and pink gills.
Of course, you can substitute the trout with any other fish of your choice. Second, bacon should be well cooked before stuffing the trout with it. Why? It’s simple; the trout needs less time to cook. Consequently, putting them in the oven at the same time will result in an overcooked fish.
Ingredients for 1 bacon stuffed rainbow trout:
- 1 small red onion (chopped)
- a handful of fresh basil
- a handful of fresh parsley
- 1 garlic clove (chopped)
- 2 oranges (juice and zest, ½ orange for slices)
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- bacon (cubes)
- 1 fresh rainbow trout
For the herb salsa, combine basil, parsley, garlic, onion, orange zest, orange juice and olive oil. Blend until you reach the desired consistency. But 30 seconds will do just fine. Season by tasting it.
Preheat the oven to 200º C. Even though the fish you bought is supposed to be clean, I still wash it under cold running water. Then pat it dry with some paper towels.
In a small frying pan prepare the bacon cubes. Once they are cooked, put them aside. You will need them in a minute to fill the trout. In a baking dish, spread one spoon of salsa you just made, lay a couple of orange slices (in a line) on it and place the trout on top.
Next, make a couple of diagonal cuts on one side of the trout and then fill the trout’s cavity with bacon cubes (which you prepared a minute ago). To finish up, spread the salsa over the trout, lay a couple of orange slices on top and put to bake for about 25 minutes.
Once the fish eyes look opaque, the skin starts to become crispy and bacon sizzles loudly, turn on the grilling function for a couple of minutes before taking everything out of the oven. I love crispy fish skin. It’s time to serve!
Bacon stuffed rainbow trout is an amazing dish. From oven to your table in only 30 minutes. You might serve it with some young potatoes or steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus). Moreover, a nice slice of brown bread is perfect to dip in the baking juices.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
