Preparing this baked trout with lemon and sauce couldn't be simpler. Fish fillets glazed in honey mustard, soy, and sesame sauce, turns tender and flavorful in our quick 20-minute trout recipe.
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Baked Trout Video
Baked Trout In Oven
Explore more seafood recipes: shrimp tacos, shrimp scampi, and salmon salad!
5 Star Review
I made this for my housemates, with some mashed potatoes. I added finely chopped white onion on top for the last five minutes. They loved it! 😊♥️ I loved it too! I'd never tried before, so I was really happy about the turnout. It was VERY FLAVORFUL. 🤤 I saved it to my favorites after the first bite.
- Delores, our reader from Pinterest
Ingredients For Baked Trout
- Trout - Opt for skin-on rainbow trout fillets, fresh or thawed. The flesh, ranging from white to orange, turns lighter when cooked. Choose firm, resilient, and fresh fillets, or consider salmon as an alternative.
- Lemon juice & zest - freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor, and use fresh lemon zest whenever possible.
- Fresh parsley or fresh dill - for garnishing (or any preferred fresh herbs).
- Sesame oil - toasted!
- Soy sauce - a savory, umami-rich sauce that adds saltiness and depth of flavor. Substitute: If you can't find gluten-free variation, Tamari sauce or coconut aminos are both great options; or Worcestershire sauce for a different depth of flavor.
- Honey adds natural sweetness to the marinade. Substitute maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup for sweetness.
- Dijon mustard - a tangy, sharp-flavored mustard made from mustard seeds, white wine, and other spices. I don't recommend yellow mustard as it will change the flavor profile.
How To Make Baked Trout
Cooking trout in the oven within parchment paper or foil packet is a such an easy and brilliant method, often referred to as cooking "en papillote" or "in paper."
Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make The Honey Mustard Marinade Sauce. Combine Dijon mustard, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl or jar. Set aside.
Season the fish. Season the trout fillets generously with salt and black pepper.
Make a foil packet. Grease foil with olive oil, place seasoned trout fillets (skin side down), and pour honey mustard mixture over them.
Reserve some for basting the fish before serving.
Seal the foil packets securely. Arrange the foil packets on a baking sheet and place them in the preheated oven.
Cook. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Check one fillet after 10 minutes; the flesh should easily flake with a fork.
Once done, remove the fish in foil packets from the oven.
Pour any remaining sauce over the cooked trout, sprinkle them with mixed sesame seeds, and garnish with parsley or cilantro.
Serve the baked trout with lots of fresh lemon slices and your preferred choice of vegetables.
FLAVOR PROFILE: It's a fantastic combo of savory soy, sweet honey, and tangy Dijon that makes the trout taste amazing! Trust me, it's worth a try!
How To Tell If Trout Is Cooked
Baking time depends on fish thickness and desired doneness.
Aim for an internal temperature around 125°F/52°C (FDA recommends 145°F/63°C), verified with an instant-read thermometer.
In the absence of a thermometer, observe these cues to ensure your trout is cooked:
- Clarity: Notice the transition of trout flesh from translucent to opaque.
- Flakiness: Gently press the flesh with a fork to check its ability to easily flake apart.
How To Buy Trout
Follow these tips for buying rainbow trout:
- Is rainbow trout sustainable? Most available rainbow trout are farm-raised, so opt for responsibly farmed options.
- Explore obtaining rainbow trout from nearby farmers' markets or directly from local fish farms. This choice enables you to support local producers and gain a clearer insight into the fish's journey from farm to table.
- Ensure the selection of reliable suppliers committed to sustainability and transparency. Verify if they hold certifications like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) or the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) label.
Quality of Trout Matters
Assessing fish quality:
- Skin - A shiny, slightly slimy skin signifies freshness and quality.
- Fins - Seek defined, perky fins; avoid ragged or broken ones.
- Gills - Look for moist, shiny, pink or red gills; avoid brown or faded ones.
- Smell - Fresh fish smells of the sea, not a strong fishy odor.
- Texture - Quality fish feels firm; avoid flabbiness or slackness.
- Eyes - Opt for fish with bright, clear eyes, avoiding cloudy or sunken ones.
Explore more tips when buying fish from EDF Seafood.
Tips For Making The Best Baked Trout
- Honey Mustard Glaze-In this recipe, I've made sauce for the whole trout, but if you're using just 4-5 fillets, divide the sauce ingredients in half.
- Baking. Depending on your oven and the size of your trout you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Make the sauce in advance. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Leftover sauce can be consumed cold or warm and used in a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
- If you don't have fresh trout, you can use frozen. Thaw it and make sure to pat it dry to remove any excess water before cooking.
- Don't skip the foil. Baking trout in foil packets helps the fish cook perfectly tender. While the fish fillets bake, the sauce coats the fish nicely, and all the juices are formed at the bottom of the packet.
- Inspect for pin bones by running your finger along the trout. These small, translucent bones are easily detected, and they can be removed using a pair of tweezers.
- To prevent sticking, apply cooking spray to the foil before placing the trout to bake and avoid adherence.
- Exercise caution when opening the foil, as there may be steam trapped inside. Gently unfold the sealed edges to prevent burns from the released steam!
- If you like the flavor of fresh garlic, you can chop it finely (about 1-2 teaspoons) and add it to the fish or mix it in the marinade before baking.
- Add some red chili flakes to make it spicy.
How To Serve Oven-Baked Trout
- Grains - with a side of grains such as yellow rice, lime cilantro rice or quinoa or cauliflower rice.
- Side Salad - for more veggies in this dish, we like to serve trout with tomato cucumber salad, Greek salad, cabbage salad, potato salad, or chickpea salad.
- Leftovers - for any leftover fish, you can break it down into bite-size pieces and serve in fish tacos with a colorful Mexican slaw. Or serve it in creamy risotto.
- With Roasted or steamed veggies - sauteed asparagus, braised cabbage, roasted air fryer Brussels sprouts, zucchini boats, cauliflower or fries. Zucchini, carrots, green beans.
- Other sauces - you can omit the honey mustard glaze and baked the fish as it is in a sheet of foil. For this, make sure to brush the fish with olive oil before baking. Then serve with your choice of sauce like aioli, chimichurri, lemon butter sauce, tartar sauce, remoulade.
Storing Leftovers
- To Store. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I use these glass meal prep containers to store leftovers - they keep everything fresh for days.
- To Reheat. Preheat your oven to 275°F to 300°F, place the trout on a baking sheet, and warm it for approximately 15 minutes.
- To Freeze, place completely cooled trout in a covered, airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. It should be consumed within 3-4 months.
More Fish Recipes
Before You Head Out
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Recipe Card
Baked Trout Recipe (With Lemon and Soy Sauce!)
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Make The Honey Mustard Marinade Sauce. Combine Dijon mustard, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl or jar. Set aside.
- Season the fish. Season the trout fillets generously with salt and black pepper.
- Make a foil packet. Grease foil packets with olive oil and place the seasoned trout fillets inside (fish skin side down). Pour the honey mustard mixture over the trout fillets, leave some to brush more sauce before serving.
- Seal the foil packets securely. Arrange the foil packets on a baking sheet and place them in the preheated oven.
- Cook. Bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Check one fillet after 10 minutes; the flesh should easily flake with a fork.
- Once done, remove the fish in foil packets from the oven. Pour any remaining sauce over the cooked trout, sprinkle them with mixed sesame seeds, and garnish with parsley or cilantro.
- Serve the baked trout with lots of fresh lemon slices and your preferred choice of vegetables.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- To Store. Should you have any leftover trout, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. For reheating without drying it out, preheat your oven to 275°F to 300°F, place the trout on a baking sheet, and warm it for approximately 15 minutes.
- To Freeze. You can also freeze cooked trout. Place completely cooled trout in a covered airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. It should be consumed up to 3-4 months.
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Let us know how it was!Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
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Lindsey
The sauce ingredients were something I never would have thought to combine, but it was absolutely delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Lindsey thank you so much! It's delicious, I think you'll also love baked white fish or salmon with miso sauce!
Nancy
Delicious, thank you for posting. Made it with salmon, and added some finely chopped garlic scapes to sauce, as that's what I had. Garnished with lime, sesame, and parsley. Will make again!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Sounds absolutely delicious, salmon and this glaze is also crazy good! Definitely try this recipe with white fish too next time. Thank you for commenting Nancy!
Susan
Fantastic! Was looking for something different, fish wise. Flavours really come together. Forgot foil...lol. Still really tender fish.