Fish for Dinner: Grilled Trout with Herbs and Lemon

Fish for Dinner is a feature chronicling my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve posted a Fish for Dinner meal. (One of the great things about the Hooked on Fish subscription is that you can put it on hold when it’s not convenient.) But when rainbow trout showed up on the options list I knew we were back in business. There are very few fish I enjoy more than trout, and now that the weather is finally cooperating (I hope I didn’t jinx it!) we look for every opportunity to fire up the grill.

Like so many fish recipes, this one is quick and easy. Open the pre-cleaned fish like a book and stuff herbs, lemon and butter inside. Close it up and pop it on the grill for about 8 minutes. Then prepare to dine like royalty – it’s that good.
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Continue reading for the rest of the story, the recipe, photos, and a fishing ditty for your listening pleasure.

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Image: Pixabay

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We were so excited about ‘grilling weather’ that we cooked the entire meal that way. I made aluminum foil pouches with sliced potatoes, onions, oil and seasonings – sealed ‘em up and left them on the grill while everything else cooked. The result was caramelized, tender goodness – the perfect side dish for the trout along with grilled zucchini planks. All preparations were super-simple, and simply delicious!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Printable Recipe- Grilled Trout with Herbs and Lemon
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Grilled Trout with Herbs and Lemon
Recipe source: Simply Recipes 
​Please note: My recipe below is adapted slightly from the original source; Simply Recipes is an awesome website that you really should check out. You’ll be happy you did!

Recipe serves 2, 1 trout per person. Obviously quantities can be adjusted up or down as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 2 trout, boned and cleaned, heads and tails on or off per your preference

Note: Butterflied trout has the bones removed and leaves the fish in one piece. Trout that has been filleted is in two pieces. This recipe works fine with either treatment, although the ‘stuffing’ is less likely to fall out if the trout has been butterflied.

• Salt and pepper
• 6 thin slices of lemon
• Fresh herbs such as dill, parsley, chervil, basil or tarragon – whatever you like. Choose 1 or 2 kinds; you’ll need several sprigs of each herb for each fish
• 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS:

• Prepare a two-zone grill – direct high heat on one side, and low to no heat on the other side for indirect cooking.
• Make a “cooking tray” for the fish out of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Use double or triple layers and create a rim around all edges so that oil/liquids won’t spill out. Use olive oil or cooking spray to coat the tray. If you have a lot of fish you may need multiple foil trays.
• Rinse the trout and pat dry.
• If your trout is butterflied, open it up like a book and proceed. If you have fillets instead, select two that are approximately the same size and lay them next to each other, meaty side up.
• Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper.
• Place 2-3 lemon slices on one side of the fish.
• Top with several sprigs of fresh herbs.
• Top with small butter pieces – 3-4 per fish.
• Close the fish over the stuffing (if using butterflied trout). Or lay the second fillet on top of the first fillet with the stuffing – you’re essentially making a “fish sandwich”.
• Brush both sides of the fish with olive oil. Place fish in the aluminum tray.
• Place the tray on the hot side of the grill. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Carefully move the tray to the cool side of the grill. Cover and cook for approximately 5 minutes more until the fish is cooked through. You can peek inside the “sandwiches” to check for doneness.
• Remove the fish from the grill when done. Discard the herbs before serving the fish, but the lemon slices can be used to garnish the plate and/or squeezed over the fish for a little extra zingy flavor.

Photos: Ann Johnson except where otherwise noted