Are you intimidated by cooking fish? I adore seafood but I don’t actually cook it that often, and even I am guilty of overestimating the effort and skill needed to cook it at home.
Take this recipe for whole roasted trout as an example of just how easy it can be. There is no scaling, no filleting, and – my personal favorite – no worry about it sticking to the pan. All that is needed is to surround it with seasoning and aromatics stick it in the oven and wait for it to be cooked.
If you are nervous about knowing when fish is done, don’t be shy about cutting into it. The texture of the fishy flesh will change as it is cooked and it will flake apart as you fork it. Try serving this recipe with a light green salad and some roast potatoes.
Whole Roasted Trout
(serves 2)
Preheat your oven to 475F. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard and the juice of half of the lemon, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Slice the remainder of the lemon thinly.
Rinse the trout and pat dry on the inside and outside. Sprinkle the outside and inside with salt and pepper. Brush with the lemon mixture on the inside and out. Inside of each fish, layer the lemon slices topped with the fresh dill, it may stick out somewhat. Place in a pan.
When the oven is hot, place the fish and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove, and enjoy. Beware of bones!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds great –I’m filing it!
I rarely cook fish here, mainly because I’m not keen on warm water fish — too “fishy” if you know what I mean. But I do eat it in Europe and we are lucky to have a trout farm very close to where we have our house in France, which is no-where near as glamorous as it sounds — hardly done any rennovation so a bit like camping in a big, rather basic, caravan. But I do have a functioning kitchen.
At the trout farm this little old lady comes out, scoops them from the ponds, which are running water diverted from a stream, wops them on the head and that’s it! Cooked when no more than a couple of hours from being caught they are delicious!
I like your idea of the Dijon mustard, never thought of that. Love fresh dill too.
Cheers!
Liz
Me, too. I love seafood and eat it often when out, but apart from using smoked mackerel and sometimes king prawns at home and making kedgeree I don’t really cook it, because I always think I’m not very good at it. Maybe I need to be braver. You have inspired me.
Liz your trout lady sounds wonderful, why are these sorts of experiences only available elsewhere?!
Sylvie – it really isn’t that hard, but I sometimes need a mini pep talk too.
Sounds delicious. I used to be intimidated by cooking whole fish at home but after trying to make a steamed Asian style Branzini and it turning out utterly delicious I have been on the look out for more whole fish recipes. This sounds perfect!