Fresh roasted fish always transports me to the Mediterranean coast. There is something about this simple preparation that really allows the fish be the star of the dish. Trout is a mild white fish with a light, clean flavor and just a touch of sweetness, perfect for anyone who is not a fish lover. For this recipe, I simply used garlic, parsley and lemon to accent this fish’s natural flavor.
I tend to order the whole fish from Fresh Direct, butterflied with head and tail on, because I like the presentation, but you can always just serve it as fillets if this is too adventurous for you. Check out my tips for purchasing fish below. To cook, simply rinse and pat the fish dry, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, garlic, fresh parsley and top with lemon slices. The fish cooks in about 15 mins depending on its size and its ready to serve!
Tips for Buying Fish:
- Whole fresh fish
• Look for shiny skin; tightly adhering scales; bright, clear eyes; firm, taut flesh that springs back when pressed; and a moist, flat tail.
• Gills should be cherry-red, not brownish.
• Saltwater fish should smell briny; freshwater fish should smell like a clean pond. - Fresh fillets, steaks
• When buying white-fleshed fish, choose translucent-looking fillets with a pinkish tint.
• When buying any color fish, the flesh should appear dense without any gaps between layers.
• If the fish is wrapped in plastic, the package should contain little to no liquid.
• Ask the fishmonger to remove any pin bones, which run crosswise to the backbone. - Frozen fish
• Look for shiny, rock-hard frozen fish with no white freezer-burn spots, frost, or ice crystals.
• Choose well-sealed packages from the bottom of freezer case that are at most three months old
- 2 whole Rainbow Trout - approx 1lb each, butterflied
- 2 cloves Garlic - minced
- 1 Lemon - thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley - chopped
- Olive oil - to drizzle
- Sea Salt - to taste
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Rinse fish, make sure all scales have been removed and pat the entire fish dry. (If you find scales, just scrap them away with a butter knife).
- Place fish on foil or parchment paper sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Open the body, drizzle with olive oil, spread garlic over flesh, season with salt as desired, sprinkle parsley and then line with slices of lemon.
- Close the body of the fish, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season skin with salt. Roast on a baking sheet or in a pan for about 15 minutes, until the flesh is no longer translucent. Remove from oven and squeeze the juice from the cooked lemon over the fish for serving.
Tip: I like to serve my fish with juices from the pan when it was roasting, it is packed with flavor and great for drizzling over veggies or rice.
One comment
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