Rainbow Trout on the Grill

Trout cooks quickly and is easy to season depending on your taste. You can use a whole trout that has been gutted and cleaned or just the filets. For this recipe I will be using filets. 

Grill time depends on how large your fish is. In this recipe, you will need a small to medium rainbow trout; I find that it takes between 10 and 12 minutes to cook on the grill.

  • Prep: 3-5 minutes
  • Cook: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:

  • two rainbow trout filets
  • olive oil
  • your favorite seasoning blend

Preparing the grill and trout:

Heat the grill to 450 degrees. Because some grills are hard to keep at a constant temperature, a range from 400-450 degrees is fine. Place the two filets on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil that is larger than the filets. I like to use a non-stick grill mat when I cook fish on the grill.

Place the filets, skin side down on the foil or grill mat. If using a grill mat, put it on top of the foil before seasoning for less mess. Lightly oil the flesh side with olive oil and season with your preferred blend.

Grilling:

Place just the cooking mat or the aluminum foil with the filets on the grill. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, checking on the fish at the 10-minute mark. When the fish is done, the flesh should pull apart easily with a fork. If you like your fish a little dryer, leave it on for the full 12 minutes or a few minutes longer depending on size and thickness of your filets.

Remove the fish from the grill by placing each filet on a cookie sheet. Carefully remove the flesh from the skin with a spatula and put it on a plate. I prefer to remove the skin, but you can leave it on if you choose. If you like lemon, you can squeeze some over the entire length of the filet.

The filets are complimented with long grain or wild rice.

Video and recipe by Ross Morgan, Northwest public information officer, Department of Game and Fish.

About Ross Morgan

Ross Morgan is the Public Information Officer in the Northwest Area for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.