Baked Trout Almond Butter (Print Version)
Whole trout baked and topped with a warm almond butter sauce and fresh herbs.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 whole trout, approximately 10.5 oz each, cleaned and scaled
02 - 1 lemon, sliced
03 - 2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
04 - 2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
05 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
→ Almond Butter Sauce
07 - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 1.75 ounces sliced almonds
09 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 390°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
02 - Rinse trout under cold water and pat dry thoroughly. Season inside and out with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
03 - Insert lemon slices, chopped parsley, and dill into the cavity of each trout.
04 - Place trout on prepared tray and drizzle evenly with olive oil.
05 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
06 - While trout bakes, melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add sliced almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
07 - Remove skillet from heat, then stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley.
08 - Transfer baked trout to plates and spoon warm almond butter sauce over each serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The whole fish stays incredibly moist and the flesh practically melts because it steams gently inside its own skin.
- That warm almond butter is nutty and bright without being heavy, so you feel satisfied but not weighed down.
- It looks restaurant-worthy but takes barely longer than weeknight pasta, and there's almost no cleanup.
02 -
- Don't skip patting the trout dry before seasoning, because moisture on the surface prevents the seasoning from sticking and the skin from browning even slightly.
- Watch your almonds like a hawk as they toast because they go from perfect to bitter in the time it takes to blink, and once that happens there's no saving the sauce.
- The trout will continue cooking slightly after it comes out of the oven, so pull it when the flesh is just barely opaque, not when it flakes easily, or it will be dry.
03 -
- Request that your fishmonger clean and scale the trout for you, which saves 10 minutes and means you can focus on the cooking rather than the prep.
- Toast your almonds in the same pan you're going to make the sauce in, so you don't have extra dishes and all those toasted-almond flavors stay together.