Simple Rainbow Trout Recipe (Maple Balsamic Glazed)
This moist, flaky, flavorful maple balsamic rainbow trout is a perfect simple meal, ready in 20 minutes with just six ingredients. Easy and delicious.
As oven-baked trout recipes go, this one is quick and easy and super tasty with a glaze made of balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and lemon juice.
Rainbow trout is a freshwater river fish native to North America. It’s one of my go-to quick meals for weeknights.
My only tips for this recipe are to buy fresh trout fillets, figure out portion size and not overcook the fish.
What to expect
You can have the trout on the table from start to finish – with sides – in about 20-30 minutes.
Cleanup is also easy. Wrap up the tin foil or parchment paper from the pan that the trout lays on, toss it in the garbage and put the pan back in the cupboard 🙂
Most importantly, it’s delicious. The sweetness and depth of the maple and balsamic glaze work really well together. And the rainbow trout is mild and succulent.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Trout: Buy fresh rainbow trout fillets with bones removed. Typically, there will be skin on one side.
Glaze: The glaze is a mixture of maple syrup, balsamic vinegar (a good quality one will give the best results), lemon juice, cornstarch to thicken the glaze and optional sriracha to add some heat.
Variations and substitutes:
- You can substitute the trout with a different type of fish like Arctic Char, Bluefish, Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Steelhead Trout, or Salmon. Use lime juice instead of lemon juice and add some zest when serving.
- Substitute the maple syrup with honey.
- Vary the heat with as much sriracha (or red pepper flakes) as you like.
Step by step instructions
Recipe FAQs
Rainbow trout has a mild, delicate flavor. The pale orange-pink flesh is moist, soft and tender when cooked well.
Buy trout fillets that are as fresh as possible with a mild scent and moist flesh.
There are several types of freshwater trout including rainbow trout. Saltwater trout like Arctic Char and Steelhead trout are typically farm raised. Wild trout is best if you can find it. If you can’t find it, buy farm-raised trout. The flesh should feel slippery and slimy. That’s a good thing. A sign of freshness.
Figure 1/2 pound (8 ounces or 220 grams) per person. I actually buy a bit extra because the skin (which I remove after cooking) takes up considerable weight on trout. Portion size will also depend on how substantial your side dishes are. Caterers suggest a portion size of 3 oz./90 grams, but I find that too small for an adult serving.
Like salmon, rainbow trout is one of the most healthy fish to eat. It’s packed with protein, niacin, vitamin B12, and omega 3. According to Healthline, rainbow trout is among the top 12 healthiest fish.
The general rule of thumb for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Peek in the center to check if it’s done. If the flesh is turning opaque, it’s done. It should be moist and warm pink, not dry, pale and flaky.
Bake the trout in the same pan with bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus (cut the veggies into small pieces). Here’s our Roasted Bok Choy and Broccoli recipe that will work perfectly.
What to serve with this trout recipe
I love to serve this rainbow trout fillet recipe with Cauliflower Rice with Pesto, Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad, Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Baby Cauliflower, Charred Corn Salad, Oven Roasted Vegetables Recipe or Savory Rice and Roasted Veggies.
For dessert, I’d go with moist whole orange cake or a gluten-free orange polenta cake. Or, try one of these homemade easy sweet snacks with quick prep.
Make Ahead
- The glaze/marinade can be made a couple of days ahead, but it’s best to cook the trout just before serving.
- Alternatively, make the rainbow trout recipe the day before. Cool it completely, refrigerate it, then serve it cold the next day.
Other easy fish recipes you might like
- lemon herb baked trout
- Canadian maple cedar plank salmon
- baked fish fillets with cherry tomato sauce (20 minutes)
- coconut curry salmon
- crispy baked fish (20 minutes)
- salmon stuffed with lemon ricotta
- citrus maple glazed salmon
- easy maple glazed salmon recipe
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!
Easy Rainbow Trout Recipe (With Maple Balsamic Glaze)
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds rainbow trout fillets (2 large or 3-4 smaller)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Maple Balsamic Sauce/Glaze
- 1 1/2 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or more (optional) (or use a pinch of red pepper flakes)
- 2 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN to 400F/204C. Line a baking sheet, large enough to fit the trout, with parchment or disposable foil, sprayed with cooking oil (for easy clean up).
- MAKE SAUCE/GLAZE: Whisk together all ingredients in a small glass measuring cup or bowl. If you want a slightly thicker glaze, whisk in the cornstarch and microwave sauce for 45-60 seconds. I do this. If you prefer a thin glaze, don't use the cornstarch.
- PREPARE TROUT FILLETS: Generously sprinkle trout with salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped green onions over fish. Drizzle on enough glaze to cover the fish, about half the sauce/glaze, reserving the rest for serving. Place fish, skin side down, on pan.
- ROAST/BAKE TROUT: for 8-11 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Note 1. Remove from oven to a large flat dish and cut into portions. If you want to remove skin, slip a spatula between the bottom of the flesh and skin, then lift trout off. Drizzle on the remaining sauce and sprinkle parsley, green onions or other fresh herbs on maple balsamic trout if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
- How to tell if trout is cooked: The general rule of thumb for fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Start checking a minute or two earlier. Peek in the center. If the flesh is just turning opaque, it’s done. It should be moist and warm pink, not dry, pale and flaky.
- Variations:
- You can substitute the trout with a different type of fish like Arctic Char, Bluefish, Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Steelhead Trout, or Salmon. Use lime juice instead of lemon juice and add some zest when serving.
- Substitute the maple syrup with honey.
- Vary the heat with as much sriracha (or red pepper flakes) as you like
- Make Ahead:
- The glaze/marinade can be made a couple of days ahead, but it’s best to cook the trout just before serving.
- Alternatively, make the trout the day before. Cool it completely, refrigerate, then serve it cold the next day.
Nutrition
This recipe, originally published in 2016, has been updated to increase the amount of sauce and thicken the glaze so that it stays on the fish better.
We’ve been using this recipe since early last year. I frequently use it with salmon instead of trout, and use whatever type of hot sauce I have available.
Half the family likes it and half doesn’t. However the half that does is the half that is hard to get to eat fish, so it’s worth the irritation to bake two recipes to get the hubby and oldest girl to eat it.
Hmm. Hard to please everyone. I’m very familiar with making two different meals at a time. I guess I should tell readers that it might be a good recipe for non fish lovers 🙂 Thanks for leaving a comment Laurie.
We love this recipe. I don’t change a thing. It’s like fish candy 🤪.
Well that’s a description I haven’t heard yet! Thanks for leaving a comment Cindy.
I knew this would be good as soon as I read the recipe. I have made it twice and the whole family loved it. I am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Thank you!
Thrilled to hear that Marci. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and I hope you enjoy a few of our other recipes too.
So delishious. Cooks in no time and the sauce was a perfect pairing with Rainbow trout. My entire family ate every bite!! No left overs that night!
Lovely to hear. Glad you all enjoyed it.
Fantastic recipe and what flavor!!! It turned out perfect. I served it with a combination of broccoli/carrots. I also served it with rice and poured some of the sauce on it. I will definitely be making it again. Thanks
Glad you liked it Mary! Thanks for leaving a comment. Much appreciated.
A delicious combination of flavors! Trout isn’t my favorite fish, but the flavors in this quick and easy recipe have me adding this dish to our regular dinner rotation. The one teaspoon of cornstarch was a bit much and turned the glaze into more of a jelly/jam consistency. Next time I will either halve the cornstarch or leave it out to get the consistency to our liking. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it Courtney. Thanks for leaving a comment. The thickness of the glaze is certainly a matter of preference, so you can cut it back or leave it out as you suggested. Or, add a splash of water to thin it out.
Amazing recipe. The glaze is perfect with the fish. The whole family loved it. Served it with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.
Great to hear. Thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
I loved this recipe! Can’t wait to have the leftovers! Thanks for posting this awesome recipe!
You’re very welcome Jan. Glad it was a hit.
Made this last night as I’d got some rainbow trout extremely cheaply and glancing through recipes I had come across this one and had most of the ingredients in the cupboard except sriracha (used a touch of cayenne pepper instead). I can honestly say this is one of the best fish recipes we’ve had. The ingredients balanced each other perfectly and it was so easy to make. I served it with couscous and green beans. It really was delicious and will be keeping all the stuff in for this to become a regular dish. I’ve some octopus in the freezer and I’m going to try it with that!
Thank you Tristan! So glad you liked the trout recipe. Let me know if you try the glaze with octopus and how it turns out!
Turned out amazing ! Thank you for this wonderful recipe 👍
So glad you liked it Linda!
Was looking for a different way to cook trout, and this popped up. Love the simplicity, the flavours and the ease of making a nice dinner on a weeknight. Family approved, will be making this again! 😋
So glad you enjoyed the trout recipe Karen. And thanks for leaving a comment.
We are so eager to make this, but have a question: The cauliflower look like a great accompaniment? Is there are recipe for that as well?
Yes. It’s Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/parmesan-roasted-cauliflower/ Hope you enjoy both!
Today was the first day of Trout Season, I caught my limit of 5, so tonight was fresh trout dinner. We were tired of the way we always cooked it, so tonight we looked for a new recipe. This was the recipe we found. It was the best trout we ever had, easy to make and it came out great. We used a maple balsamic vinegar and truffle infused olive oil plus the maple syrup and the lemon.
Try it, you’ll love it!
Lucky you John – freshly caught trout! I’m honored you chose our recipe and liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Hey John, glad you were succesful fishing today!! I too decided to look for a new recipe, for my own fresh caught trout today, and its ready to go in to the oven…. can’t wait..Im using Speckled trout… what did you catch today?
Also, thankful to the two kooks for posting this recipe!!!!
You are very welcome 🙂 🙂
Too funny – a blog conversation! Hope you like the trout recipe with your freshly caught trout. Yum!
Add a bit of sesamie oil for extra amazing!
Good tip. Thanks!
I made this fir my large family and loved it! However I think the sauce in the double batch wasn’t very thick so I will make it again and add a tablespoon of corn starch for a single batch and 2 tablespoons for a double , I have never made fish with the skin on and was a bit sceptical of it but was pleased it turned out ! I will make it again and experiment with it a bit . Thanks
Glad it worked out well Tami. Thickness of the sauce is a personal preference and it sounds like you’ve found the right formula for you and your family.