“While Queen Victoria sat on the throne, her armed forces were on the march, painting the map of the world pink. For good or ill, they carried with them the values of colonialism—and some big boxes of brown trout eggs.”
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall & Nick Fisher, The River Cottage Fish Book
“The rustic sign of the trout still hangs outside many English pubs, such as The Lazy Trout, Rising Trout, Speckled Trout, Tickled Trout, Trout and Tipple, or, more commonly, plain old Trout.”
James Owen, Trout
Here it is: a dish so quintessentially British that Englishmen literally could not live without it when they set out to colonize the world. A dish dazzling in its simplicity, packed with nutrients, and quick to prepare.
Although this recipe calls for roasting or baking, trout can be prepared a number of ways. It can be grilled, pan fried, even smoked.
This recipe calls for baking, with nothing more than a simple seasoning and some slices of onion and lemon. If you are partial to condiments, by all means, whip up a little tartar sauce to go on the side. The purist will want to enjoy the trout on its own, perhaps with a baked potato and salad.
Ingredients
- 2 whole rainbow trout
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dill
- ½ tsp thyme
- salt
- pepper
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 lemons sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Grease a baking dish with half the olive oil.
- Place trout in the prepared baking dish and coat with remaining olive oil.
- Season the inside and outside of fish with dill, thyme, and salt.
- Cut three or four diagonal slits in the flesh of the trout. Do not cut the bone. Place a thin slice of lemon in each slit.
- Stuff each fish with onion and lemon slices.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the fish flake easily with a fork.