Baked Trout With Lemon, Butter & Herbs
A reader comment: “Absolutely superb! No more words than that are necessary…” David
I love this lemon butter herb baked trout made with just a few simple fresh ingredients in less than 20 minutes – succulent texture and delish.
What to expect
Rainbow trout has a mild, delicate flavor. The pale orange-pink flesh is moist, soft and tender when cooked well.
I make these baked trout fillets often. They’re quick, easy, and you can roast vegetables in the same pan for a one-pan meal (see how below).
Bottom line: This fresh trout dinner is low-carb, ready in minutes, and the lemon and fresh herbs pair beautifully with the delicate fish.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Trout: Buy fresh rainbow trout fillets (see FAQ for how to buy the best fillets)
- Herbs: I use a combination of fresh dill and parsley with green onions (not a herb).
- Butter adds a wonderful richness to the fish. You can use all butter or all olive oil or a combination of the two.
- Garnish: More herbs and butter, plus lemon zest
Substitutions
- Trout: Instead of rainbow trout fillets, use different types of fish like Arctic Char, Bluefish, Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Steelhead Trout. Or try salmon with this similar recipe for roasted salmon stuffed with herbs.
- Herbs: Other good options are basil, tarragon and chives and a little thyme (more powerful so use less) – along with green onions. No fresh herbs? You can mix in some Italian seasoning or other dried herbs. I would at least use fresh parsley and the green onions.
Variations
- Extra flavor: Add a glug of white wine to the bottom of the pan before baking
- Garnish options:
- Chop fresh peak-of-the-season tomatoes and sprinkle them on top before serving.
- Drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil on the baked fish if you like.
- Sprinkle chopped roasted walnuts, pecans or pistachios over the trout fillets once cooked.
Step-by-step instructions
Shortcut trout dinner with a one-pan meal
Create a complete one-pan meal by placing veggies beside the trout fillets while the fish cooks. You need quick-cooking veggies for this, like asparagus, snap peas or bok choy.
For other veggies like cauliflower or broccoli, give them a head start in the pan for 10 minutes, then add the fish and bake for the remaining time.
Either way, toss the veggies first with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper before roasting.
What to serve with trout
There are so many options. Here are a few of my faves:
For company:
- Roasted Vegetable Salad With Quinoa. This side is a 3-in-1 side dish. Served with the trout, it makes a beautiful lunch or dinner for guests.
- Roast Pumpkin with Couscous,
- Burrata with Pasta
- Instant Pot Risotto with Grill Vegetables
For weeknights (quick and easy):
Recipe FAQs
Look for the freshest trout fillets you can find. Fresh trout should have a mild scent and moist flesh. If you buy farm-raised, the flesh should feel moist and slightly slippery – that’s actually a sign of freshness, not a problem.
I calculate about 1/2 pound (227 grams) per person as a nice generous portion. If you have a lot of side dishes, you can serve less.
That depends on how you like it. For moist and tender trout, cook it to a medium or medium-rare. The flesh will just turn opaque and it will be a warm pink in the middle. It should not be pale, dry and flaky.
Yes. Like salmon, rainbow trout is one of the healthiest fish to eat. It’s packed with protein, niacin, vitamin B12, and omega-3.
For this lemon butter trout, I use 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. That’s enough to add richness without overpowering the trout’s delicate flavor. Want it lighter? Lean more on the olive oil. Want it richer? Use more butter.
Yes. This works well with skin-on or skinless trout fillets, and with a whole trout too – just add a few extra minutes to the bake time and check that the thickest part is opaque and flakes easily before serving.
Other easy fish recipes
If you love fish, here are a few other recipes you can try – all under 30 minutes
- maple balsamic rainbow trout
- baked fish fillets with cherry tomato sauce (20 minutes)
- Canadian maple cedar plank salmon
- coconut curry salmon
- salmon stuffed with lemon ricotta
- sous vide cod (with bechamel sauce your way)
And here’s a few other quick and easy dinners for tonight.
If you make this recipe, let us know how it went! A rating & comment below mean a lot to us.
Baked Trout With Lemon, Butter & Herbs
Ingredients
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 400F/204C. Line a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with oil for easy clean up.
- PREPARE TROUT FILLETS: Place trout on pan, flesh side of the fish up. Microwave butter and oil for 20-30 seconds until butter is melted. Using a sharp knife, cut slits horizontally every 2 inches/5 cm on each fillet (about 3-4 slits per fillet). Stuff half of mixed herbs into slits. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Drizzle HALF of butter oil mixture (about 2 tbsp) and the lemon juice over trout .
- BAKE TROUT in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Cooking time will depend on thickness of fillets, or until cooked. Ideally, trout will be moist and warm pink – not dry, pale and flaky.
- FINISH AND SERVE: Sprinkle remaining herbs and lemon zest over top of fish fillets. Drizzle on remaining 2 tablespoons of butter (or butter-oil mixture). Sprinkle lightly with sea salt or kosher salt. Serve: To serve without fish skin, slip spatula between flesh and skin, then lift up. I cut trout into portions first (just down to the skin) to make this easier. Garnish with slices of lemon if you like. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Herbs: I suggest using fresh herbs for this dish (well green onion isn’t a herb but I always use it in my herb combination). Another option is green onion, one fresh herb and 1- 2 teaspoons of a dried herb such as basil or thyme. Or just use two herbs – whatever you like best.
- Make Ahead:
- You can make this ahead if you serve the trout at room temperature for a buffet or brunch.
- Otherwise, I suggest stuffing the fillets with chopped herbs several hours or even a day ahead. Then add the butter, oil, salt and pepper and bake just before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Absolutely superb! No more words than that are necessary…
Thanks so much for your kind words David! So happy you liked the recipe.
I have made a variation of this since I was a child. It’s nice to have a written copy to work with and pass around.
Glad to oblige! 🙂
Would this recipe work well using Cod instead of Trout? I have Cod in the fridge so thought this would be a great recipe to use it with. thank you!
Hi Janis,
Like trout, cod has a mild taste and delicate texture like trout, so I don’t see why not. The flavors would go perfectly too. You can bake it at the same temperature (400F), but you may need to bake it for longer as it’s usually much thicker than trout. The rule of thumb for fish is 10 minutes per inch thickness. It may take 15-18 minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 140-145F. Good luck. Hope it works well. Let us know!
Amazing…thank you SO much! I will let you know how it turns out 🙂
Stay safe and healthy xo
Great. Would love to hear. You stay safe and healthy too.
Yes, it works with nearly everything but minnows! yuk yuk