Trout baked in foil
Twenty minutes, one parcel, and nothing to wash afterwards.
- 340
- kcal
- 38g
- protein
- 19g
- fat
- 3g
- carbs
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 2
Photograph by Alexey Chudin on Pexels
Ingredients
- 2 whole trout, cleaned
- 1 lemon, sliced
- A few sprigs of dill and parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
-
1
Heat the oven to 400°F.
-
2
Season the cavity of each fish and fill with lemon, herbs and garlic.
-
3
Set each fish on oiled foil, drizzle with oil, and close the parcel loosely so steam has room.
-
4
Bake 20 minutes. The fish is done when the dorsal fin pulls out cleanly.
Why the parcel is loose
A tightly wrapped parcel steams the fish against its own skin and the result is wet. A loose one traps enough moisture to keep the flesh from drying while leaving the steam somewhere to go. Crimp the edges closed and leave a dome of air above the fish.
The dorsal fin test is more reliable than a timer or a thermometer here. When the fish is done the fin pulls out cleanly with a gentle tug; when it resists, it needs a few more minutes. It works because the connective tissue holding the fin releases at almost exactly the temperature the flesh is ready.
Whole fish versus fillets
Whole is better and it is not close. The bones conduct heat evenly and add gelatine, the skin holds moisture in, and the cavity gives you somewhere to put aromatics that then perfume the flesh from the inside. Fillets in foil work — twelve minutes rather than twenty — but they are a different, plainer dish.
What else goes in the parcel
- Fennel, sliced thin, under the fish. It cooks in the time the fish takes and its aniseed note suits trout particularly.
- Cherry tomatoes, which burst and make a small amount of sauce.
- A splash of white wine or vermouth before sealing.
- Thin potato slices underneath, if you want it to be a whole meal — they need a head start of ten minutes in the oven first.
Keeping it
Cooked trout keeps two days refrigerated and is genuinely good cold, flaked into a salad with the lemon from the parcel. Reheating oily fish is rarely worth it; the texture tightens and the smell is assertive.
What it is worth nutritionally
At 38 g of protein and 3 g of carbohydrate a serving, this is about as protein-dense as a main course gets. Trout is an oily fish, which means it carries the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA — the forms with the actual evidence behind them, and the ones plant sources convert to poorly. Two servings of oily fish a week is the standard recommendation and this is an easy way to make one of them.
