This easy herb-baked trout is the dish of the day. I love fish! In addition, trout is the favourite fish among the “lovers of fly fishing” from where I come from. The river Soča (Slovenija’s most beautiful river, if you ask me) is the home of this amazing trout. Therefore, when I found the trout here in Hamburg, I just had to buy it. I wanted a little “taste” from back home.
As I said, it is easy and quick to prepare. You just need a whole fresh trout (look for shiny, clear eyes) and a bunch of fresh green herbs. Do you find baking the whole fish a little intimidating? No need to be scared. You will not get dirty, there is no fish “cleaning” involved and it is basically “a one-pot” dish. (wink)
I hope you’ll change your mind after trying this fish recipe. Here you can check some other trout recipes; bacon stuffed trout and a crispy bacon-wrapped rainbow trout. Yes, I can’t help it. I love bacon. Wink.
Moreover, a trout is not only delicious but very nutritious as well. This sweet water fish is rich in Vitamin B12, proteins and omega-3 fatty acids. Consequently, it makes a beautiful, delicious and healthy dish. Herb-baked trout from the oven to the table in 30 minutes!
Herb salsa in two minutes
I made the herb salsa using fresh parsley, basil, olive oil and let’s not forget the garlic. I love garlic! It’s a must when making a fish dish. In addition, it’s a wonderful antibiotic. For the salsa, I also combined some citruses. Orange and lemon make a great combo and add a great flavour to the salsa.
And in case you feel like something is missing, go ahead and make a side-dish. Some boiled potatoes or grilled vegetables will do great. However, I love this herb-baked trout because you only need one baking dish to make it (read, not much cleaning). Therefore, I added carrots directly to the fish. Simple and tasty.
Ingredients for one herb-baked trout:
- 1 small red onion
- a handful of fresh basil
- a handful of fresh parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon (zest and juice from half a lemon, save 2 thin slices)
- 1 orange (juice, save 2 thin slices)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 fresh (rainbow) trout
- 2 small carrots
Start with preparing the herb salsa. Combine onion, basil, parsley, garlic, lemon and orange zest, lemon and orange juice, olive oil and blend until you get a lovely salsa. Season and adjust by tasting.
After the salsa is ready, preheat the oven to 200ºC and prepare the fish. Be sure the fish is fresh. Most of the times you can buy it already cleaned (unless you catch it yourself). I quickly wash it under cold running water and then dry it with some paper towels.
Furthermore, wash, peel and cut the carrots into 0,5-1 cm thick pieces (round, cubes or sticks). Add one spoon of the salsa onto the baking dish and spread it around. Then, place the trout in the middle of the baking dish and spread the herb salsa all over it. Don’t forget to put some salsa also on the inside, in the belly.
In the end, add the carrots around the trout, lay the lemon and orange slices over the fish and carrots and put to bake for 25 minutes. At half time you can spoon the flavourful juices from the bottom of the baking dish over the trout.
Turn on the grill
Just before taking the herb-baked trout out of the oven, turn on the grill function. This will give that extra nice crust and grilled colour. A couple of minutes will be good.
Finally, you can serve this tasty herb-baked trout. Remove the fish bones, starting with the fin bones. Then, with a cut separate the top fillet from the head. Do the same at the tail. Make a final cut along the spine and remove the top fillet. Now, with one move grab the tail and lift it together with the head, leaving the bottom fillet on the plate. It is easier than it sounds.
Squeeze the caramelised citruses over it and dig in. Herb-baked trout is a wonderful Sunday lunch that you can prepare all year long. It goes particularly good with a slice of bread, Naan bread or some boiled potatoes with parsley
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)
