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Rainbow trout are delicious. They typically live in cool waters, and their flesh is firm and tender. Best of all, they don’t taste “fishy.” This recipe for baked rainbow trout is terrific on its own, but combined with this light and zingy tartar sauce, it’s a meal even fish-averse people will love.
Table of contents
My family and friends were invited to join the work of cleaning out the fish hatchery again this year, and we brought home a passel of giant rainbows. We spent the afternoon gutting fish and started smoking the rainbow trout right away. Over the last week, I’ve canned 35 quarts of smoked trout. I use the Nesco Digital Pressure Canner — I’ve been shopping for a second unit, and the Nesco is really the best value (shop Amazon for the best price).
Storing Smoked Trout
It’s terrific to have this high-quality food stored up for the winter. We use it in taquitos and sandwiches all year. Everyone who eats the canned rainbow trout raves about how much better it is than canned tuna.
Even with all this smoked trout, there’s still room for the variety of baking some of the fresh fish. It’s a fast way to eat them. The meat is juicy and tender and requires little augmentation. This Tartar sauce with the baked rainbow trout adds a little citrus zing with aromatic dill. It accentuates the trout without overpowering it.
This meal is ready in 30 minutes, including cleaning the fish and making the sauce. You’ll want to cover the fish for the first part to keep it from drying out too much, which you can do with foil, but I prefer using a skillet with a lid. A Dutch oven works great, too. These fish were so large that I had to use my cast iron roasting pan from Camp Chef, which is currently out of production. They have a loaf pan, though, that would be awesome for fish. You could cut the fish into sections and remove tails to fit any pan, and you can do this on a fire.
What You Need
Baked Rainbow Trout
- Rainbow Trout, though other trout species will be tasty this way, too
- Butter
- Salt, to taste
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon or so (optional)
- Skillet or pot with an oven-safe lid, or aluminum foil
Tartar Sauce
- 1 Cup mayonnaise
- 1 Cup dill pickles, chopped finely
- 1 Tablespoon dill weed — if you’re going to make sauce frequently, look for bulk spices; I get mine at Winco
- 1 teaspoon lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic (not essential)
- 1/4 of a sweet onion chopped finely (not essential)
What You Do
Preheat the oven and your cast iron pan to 375°F. Clean your fish, remove the guts, and keep rubbing them until all the slime is gone. If you need the space in the pan, remove the heads and tails, too (freeze them for crawdad bait this Spring). Keep the skin on.
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Lining the pan with parchment paper makes cleanup faster, but it’s not essential. Line the pan with foil if you don’t have an oven-safe lid, and use enough foil to wrap over the fish. Add the lining after the pan is preheated. Add a couple of pats of butter to the hot pan on top of the paper or foil to help the skin come away freely.
Place the fish in the pan and lightly sprinkle garlic and salt inside the body cavities. Add a little salt and a pat of butter to the top of the fish. Cover and bake for 9 to 15 fifteen minutes. The time will depend on the thickness of the fish. When it starts to become firm, remove the lid and switch the oven to broil for 3 to 6 six minutes. The fish are done when the skin begins to become crispy on top.
Prep For Serving
While the fish are cooking, combine the tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl. The sauce will become tastier the longer it sits. Keep the leftovers in the fridge.
Remove the fish from the pan when they are done. Starting at the belly, peel the skin back. If it’s not coming away easily, bake the fish for a few more minutes.
READ MORE: Simple Gourmet: Venison Sausage French Toast Bake
Starting at the lateral line, use a fork to pull the meat toward the belly and slip it off the bones. Now, pull the meat above the lateral line toward the top of the fish. Most of the bones should stay in the carcass, but you’ll easily see any that came away with the meat.
Eat Your Baked Rainbow Trout
Serve the fish hot or cold, but serve the sauce cold. Put a little sauce on your favorite cracker and top with a hunk of flesh, and you’ve got a terrific appetizer for game nights, or serve the fish hot with rice or potatoes and tartar sauce.
However you serve it, I think you’ll be doing less releasing next time you fish.
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