How to cook trout

What to look for when buying trout

You want to make sure the fish is as fresh as possible when buying it. Here’s what to check for when buying fish:

• The eyes should be clear and bright and not dry or sunken.
• The gills should be bright red or vibrant pink inside. Older fish will have darker or duller coloured gills.
• The fish should smell of very little at all. Fishmongers often say that fish should smell of ‘nothing but the sea’. It certainly shouldn’t smell strong, unpleasant or ‘fishy’ – this is a sign of the fish having gone off or at the very least being past its best.
• If you feel the trout, it should be firm to touch and have a slight natural slime. Mushy or soft flesh is another sign it is past its best.

Where can I buy fresh trout?

If you’re lucky enough to have a good fishmonger near you, then that will be your best bet. There are also more and more specialist fish suppliers online now, some of which ship the fish on the same day it’s caught. Don’t rule out frozen fish – it can often be really good quality as it may well have been frozen just hours after it was caught.

What’s the difference between trout and sea trout?

Most trout are small freshwater fish – these include the widely available rainbow trout and brown trout. You’d generally serve one whole fish per person, or 1-2 whole fillets. The fillets are quite thin, so cook quickly. Sea trout is much larger and meatier and are mostly sold as ready prepared portioned fillets (like salmon). They can be used in place of salmon in most dishes. To use them in place of smaller trout you may need to increase the cooking time as they are thicker.

How do you prepare trout for cooking?

1. We recommend buying the trout as a whole fish that has been gutted and cleaned, which will save a lot of prep time. You can ask your fishmonger to do this for you, or choose ‘cleaned fish’ if ordering online. Some people also like to remove the heads.
2. Before baking, rinse the trout thoroughly on the inside and outside then dab dry with kitchen roll.
3. Place the two rainbow trout over a lightly oiled baking tray and stuff the fish cavity with slices of lemon and herbs.
4. Season the fish generously all over and drizzle with the remaining oil.

What is the best cooking method for trout?

This recipe uses the baking method for cooking trout as it produces a slightly crisp skin and moist flesh, and it’s very simple to do. You can also grill, barbecue or pan-fry the whole trout.

To grill trout, heat the grill to medium-high, place the fish on a piece of lightly oiled foil inside a grill pan then grill for about 7-8 minutes on each side or until cooked through to the thickest part. Grilling is probably the best method for crisping the skin.

To barbecue, either place them in fish racks/grill baskets, or wrap the fish in a sheet of lightly oiled foil to make a parcel. Barbecue for about 15-20 minutes (depending on the heat of the coals), turning once or twice, or until the flesh is opaque and cooked through at the thickest part.

To pan fry whole trout, heat some olive oil or rapeseed oil and about a tablespoon of butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the prepared trout and fry for about 7 minutes on each side, or until the skin is browned and the fish cooked right through.

How long do you cook trout for?

It takes 20 minutes for two whole rainbow trout to be baked in an oven, pre-heated to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. They’ll take about 15 minutes under the grill or if pan-fried, and about 20 minutes on the barbecue. These times can vary depending on the exact size of your fish so check that the fish is cooked right down to the bone at the thickest part.

Tips for cooking trout whole

• Slashing the thickest part of the fish a couple of times on each side will help the heat to penetrate the flesh, which allows for even cooking. Cut the flesh at an angle almost down to the bone.
• To seal in more moisture, you can wrap the trout in a parcel of foil or baking parchment before baking (this is known as ‘en papilotte’). Adding a splash of white wine or squeeze of lemon juice and some herbs will also add moisture and help the fish to steam in its parcel.

How do I know when the trout is cooked?

When the trout is cooked the eyes will have turned white and the flesh will be opaque, soft and flake apart easily. It will also pull away easily from the bones. It’s important to check it at the thickest part where it meets the bone. Use a small, sharp knife to cut into it.

Do you take the skin off trout before cooking?

We’ve left the skin on, but if you prefer you can remove it before cooking. To do so, hold the trout firmly by the tail and scrape firmly with a very sharp knife to the gills several times on both sides. Another way to do it is to snap the head of the fish back towards the body (up and away from the belly) and then pull the head and skin back towards the tail - you should find the skin will peel off this way without the need for a knife. You can also easily remove the skin once the fish is cooked - just rub it gently with a knife and it should come away from the flesh.

What about the bones?

Whole trout will come away from the bones easily once cooked. Just cut down the back bone, then carefully slide the top fillet off the fish. This will expose the skeleton so you can then lift up the tail and carefully pull the skeleton away from the flesh in the direction of the head. The bottom fillet will then be mainly bone-free.

Raw trout fillets sometimes require ‘pin boning’ which just means removing any obvious large bones from the fillet. To do this, rub your finger down the middle of each fillet towards the tail end, feeling for any bones and pulling them out with clean tweezers.

What to serve with trout

Classic sides for trout include boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables and different sauces such as mustard sauce or lemon butter sauce, like in our buttery trout with capers. Trout and flaked almonds is a classic combination – try our modern take on this with trout with almonds & red peppers– and beetroot and horseradish is another favourite pairing. We’ve got lots of recipe ideas below.

How to cook trout fillets

Trout fillets are quick and easy to cook. You can follow the methods for whole trout but reduce the cooking time by roughly half. They’ll need about 8-10 minutes in the oven or under the grill. Pan-frying is even speedier and they’ll be ready after about 5-7 minutes, turning them over just for the last minute of cooking. They also work well in a parcel of baking parchment and/or foil with a drizzle of oil, squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh herbs.

More trout recipes

• For trout fillets baked in the oven, try our Scandi trout with fennel potato salad, trout traybake with minty hollandaise or trout en papillotte.
• For a quick grilled dish, try our tangy trout with herby breadcrumb topping.
• Or, if you fancy frying your fillets, try pan-fried trout with bacon, almonds & beetroot.
• If you’d prefer to cook sea trout, then try our recipes for pan-fried sea trout, peas & chorizo fricassée, steamed trout with mint & dill or grilled sea trout, prosciutto, samphire and lentils.
• Check out more trout recipes.