Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (2024)

  • Low Carb Dinners
  • Grilled Fish
  • Trout

Grilled trout is an easy and delicious meal, especially when grilled with lemon slices, fresh dill, and butter. Perfect dinner for two!

By

Elise Bauer

Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated May 21, 2022

Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (2)

Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (3)

I once was the proud owner of a fly reel.

Just the reel mind you. I was 10 years old, and I never did get a fishing rod for that reel. The fishing rod I did have came with its own reel and was the type with which you used a little bobbing float and a hook to attach something wriggly.

Hapless in the fishing department, I eventually gifted my gear to my younger brother and stuck to collecting crawdads, tadpoles, and minnows.

Over the years my brother regularly brought home trout (usually steelhead), salmon, and assorted other fish he caught in the American River, a short walk from our house in Sacramento.

Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (4)

It was only years later, on a trip to western Montana, that I learned that a fly reel is what is used in fly fishing, which is how one fishes for trout.

So now, every time I pass by the fish counter at the market and see beautiful fresh trout staring back at me, I think of fly fishermen standing in their waders in the shallows of either the Madison or American rivers, casting for a bite.

The Best Way To Cook Trout

Trout is, one of the most delicious fish you can eat, and not only is it relatively inexpensive (for fish), it's really easy to cook. It's usually sold deboned and with head and tail.

Trout does have rather delicate skin.

So rather than grilling it directly on the grill grates, the best way to ensure that the fish holds together and results in a beautiful presentation is to create an aluminum "boat" to hold the fish and place that boat on the grill. Keep the boat open and cover the grill so that the trout absorbs some of the smokiness from the grill.

The Best Trout for This Recipe

Any trout works for this recipe, but we recommend buying these types if they're available to you.

  • Rainbow trout
  • Arctic char, also known as Alpine trout
  • Brook trout

Regardless of the variety, look for the freshest trout you can purchase. The fish should have bright, bulging eyes and red or pink gills. If the fish has sunken eyes or the gills have turned gray, the fish is older. The flesh should be moist, not dry. And, the sniff test is very important. If the trout has a strong, fishy smell, pass it by. It's best cooked the day you buy it.

5 Sides To Serve with Grilled Trout

  • Grilled Asparagus
  • Potato Salad with Apples and Bacon
  • Green Bean Salad with Lemon and Dill
  • Caesar Salad
  • Rice Pilaf With Mushrooms and Pine Nuts

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Grilled Trout With Dill and Lemon

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time8 mins

Preparing the grill15 mins

Total Time33 mins

Servings2 servings

Assume one trout per person.

These directions are for grilling trout. If you don't have a grill, you can easily prepare the fish in an aluminum boat in the same way and bake in the oven at 350°F until done.

Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 trout, boned and cleaned (also called "butterflied"), head and tail still on, or headless if you want

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • 6 paper-thin slices fresh lemon, seeded

  • Several sprigs dill, or basil, tarragon, parsley, or other tender fresh herbs

  • 1 teaspoon butter, cut into small cubes

Method

  1. Prepare the grill:

    Prepare your grill for direct high heat, with one partof the grill cool.

  2. Make an aluminum "boat":

    While the grill is heating, make a "boat" with heavy duty aluminum foil. Double or triple layer the foil and make a 1-inch rim around the edges.

    Coat the bottom of the "boat" generously with olive oil so that the trout does not stick while it is cooking.

  3. Prep the trout:

    Rinse the trout with water and pat them dry. Open up the fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add lemon slices to the inside of the fish in a single layer. Top with sprigs of dill and dots of butter. Close the fish over the stuffing. Brush both sides of the fish with olive oil. Place fish in the aluminum foil boat(s).

    Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (5)

    Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (6)

  4. Grill the trout:

    Place fish boats on the hot side of the grill. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes. The oil and the juice from the fish will get bubbly.

    Move to the cool side of the grill. Cover and cook for 3-5 more minutes, until the fish are just cooked through. You can peek inside the fish for doneness. Once opaque, the fish should be removed from the grill.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
202Calories
14g Fat
2g Carbs
17g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories202
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g18%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 51mg17%
Sodium 215mg9%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 12mg59%
Calcium 43mg3%
Iron 1mg8%
Potassium 324mg7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Grill Trout with Dill and Lemon Recipe for an Easy, Quick and Delicious Meal (2024)

FAQs

What do you soak trout in before cooking? ›

Make the brine for the trout by dissolving kosher salt and brown sugar in water. Place the trout fillets skin side up in the brine and brine the fillets for 15 minutes.

What do you eat with trout? ›

Grilled Trout with Savory Marinade

Serve the dish with equally mellow vegetables, such as buttered green beans and grilled or roasted potatoes.

How to prepare trout to eat? ›

Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). ...
  2. Place trout in the prepared baking dish and coat with remaining olive oil. ...
  3. Season inside and outside of fish with dill, thyme, and salt. ...
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; add hot water to dish. ...
  5. Serve hot and enjoy!
Jan 27, 2024

Should you soak trout before cooking? ›

Soaking fish in brine or water before cooking to remove any muddy taste is not necessary. We prefer never to wash or soak whole or filleted fish in water or any other solution (except a marinade) before cooking as it affects the texture, and ultimately, the flavour of the fish.

How do you eat grilled trout? ›

Slice open the skin along the belly, across the tail and along the back. Pull up gently on the edge of the skin nearest you and at the center, like you're opening a laptop. It should come free easily. Slip the knife blade between the skin and the meat all along the length of the fish to loosen it if it sticks.

Do you eat the skin on trout? ›

It's now commonplace for chefs to season and then sear the skin until crispy, then serve the fish portion skin side up. These days, a good rule of thumb is that if your snapper, bass, trout, or salmon is plated that way, the flavorful skin is intended to be eaten.

What is a trout's favorite food? ›

Trout eat a host of aquatic insects, terrestrial insects, other fish, crustaceans, leeches, worms, and other foods. The food items that are most important to trout and fly fishers are the aquatic insects that spend most of their life cycles underwater in rivers, streams, and stillwaters.

Why do you soak trout in milk? ›

Before cooking, soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes

In this scenario, the protein in the milk binds with the compounds that cause that fishy odor, in essence extracting if from the fish. What's left behind is sweet-smelling, brighter flesh with clean flavor.

What season is best for rainbow trout? ›

Most anglers will agree that the most productive seasons to catch wild rainbow trout are fall and winter because they are a cold-water species (full disclosure: summer is not ideal for rainbow trout). It will help you to remember the temperature range of rainbow trout.

Do trout have lots of bones? ›

There are approximately 262 or so bones that people must fish through when eating just one rainbow trout, or in the case of its sea-run counterpart, a steelhead. I have often heard that the best meat on a trout is next to the bone.

Are rainbow trout healthy to eat? ›

Rainbow trout is commonly found in grocery stores. Trout are an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B12, and omega 3 fatty acids. Protein is the building blocks of our body. It is important in growth and development and assists in repairing damaged tissues.

What is the best thing to soak fish in before cooking? ›

Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion.

What is the best soak for fish? ›

Before cooking, soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes

(Just make sure you pour that milk down the drain.

What is the best thing to soak fish in before frying? ›

What to Soak Fish in before Frying. Soaking fish in a 6 percent salt brine before frying it firms the fish, causing it to hold up better in the fryer. The salt in the brine enhances the flavor and keeps the meat from drying out.

References

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