These buttery baked trout fillets are topped with cooked and raw red onion, tangy capers and fresh dill. This trout recipe is perfect served with potatoes and a light salad.
This trout is an absolute butter filled dream 😍
Jump to:
I think everything needs to be cooked in butter forever and always. Especially fish because it makes it super soft and tender. I honestly don't think you can go wrong.
We're always looking for easy fish recipes to add to our repertoire and we were so happy when we tried this method of cooking trout in the oven because it packs so much flavour with barely any work.
This oven baked trout recipe is made up of a few perfect fish accompaniments like tangy and briney capers and herby dill. The whole dish is so simple but all the ingredients perfectly compliment each other.
We served our trout with roast potatoes and salad on a Monday night and it made for the most wonderful start to the week!
Why we love this recipe...
It's such an easy recipe which looks so much more impressive than it actually is thanks to a heavenly combination of very pretty ingredients.
You can make this recipe in less than 20 minutes which makes it a dream for a weeknight dinner when you want an extra special meal without all the work.
It's a great gluten free recipe which makes it great if you're avoiding gluten.
You can serve this recipe in so many different ways. It would be great with salad and potatoes, delicious flaked through pasta or even just with some green veg on the side.
Trout is an excellent source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Ingredients
This section is here to provide further tips and ideas for alternative ingredients. The full recipe and instructions are included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
Lemon: Because what's a fish recipe without lemon, really?
Trout Fillets: We love the delicate flavour of trout but you could use a different fish if you prefer. Salmon would also work great.
Butter: This is basically the key to this recipe...it makes the dish so rich and indulgent.
Olive Oil
Red Onion: There's both cooker and raw red onion in this recipe which adds so much flavour!
Capers: These add the perfect tang to the trout.
Dill: Another fish classic...leave off or switch for parsley if you're not a fan!
Nigella Seeds: Pretty and tasty!
How to make this recipe
Prepare the trout: Preheat the oven and slice the lemon. Put the trout fillets in a baking dish skin side down, pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter: Put the butter in a saucepan and heat until it starts to brown. Add the olive oil, fresh lemon slices and half the onion. Cook until the onion is starting to crisp then add the capers.
Cook the fish: Pour the butter mixture over the fish and bake for 10-12 minutes until the fillets flake easily with a fork. Serve topped with the dill, nigella seeds and sliced onion and finish with lemon juice.
Recipe Variations
- Protein: I love this recipe with trout but lots of other fish would work well depending on what you can get your hands on.
- Vegetables: This trout is served with a simple combination of capers and red onions but you could also chuck in some other veggies before cooking. Asparagus would roast up beautifully in the butter with the fish.
Storage
You can keep leftover baked trout in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I would recommend flaking any leftovers and using them in a pasta or something similar. See this salmon pasta recipe for inspiration!
FAQs
When cooking trout fillets you can usually tell quite easily whether they're done by flaking a piece of the fish away, if it flakes easily then the fillet is cooked. However, if you'd like to be certain then you can use a thermometer to check the internal temperature is up to 145°F.
For this recipe I left the skin on which helps to make sure the fillets don't fall apart when they've been cooked in the butter.
While trout and salmon may be similar there are a couple of key differences. Salmon has a much higher fat content which contributes to its deeper colour. Trout also has a much milder flavour than salmon.
We like this recipe served with some roasted potatoes to soak up all that delicious butter. A salad would also be great for a lighter option as would something like this healthy potato salad.
Try these other fish recipes!
- Pan Fried Sea Bass with Spiced Chickpeas
- Smoked Mackerel Salad with Quinoa
- Quick and Easy Pasta Puttanesca
- Spiced Baked Fish with Cucumber Salad
- Baked Cod with Potatoes & Chickpeas
- Smoked Salmon Pasta with Asparagus
- Fish and Vegetable en Papillote
Recipe
Buttery Baked Trout with Capers & Dill
Ingredients
- 1 Lemon
- 2 Trout Fillets
- Salt and Pepper
- 40 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Small Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Jarred Capers drained
- Bunch Dill Sprigs to serve
- 2 tablespoon Nigella Seeds to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Slice half the lemon and remove the seeds.
- Put the trout fillets in a baking dish and season well with salt and pepper.
- Put the butter in a small saucepan and heat over a medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter starts to brown. Add the olive oil, lemon slices and half the onion slices. Season again and continue to cook until the onion and lemon are starting to crisp. Add the capers.
- Pour the butter mixture over the fish. Put in the oven and bake until just cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the dill and nigella seeds. Squeeze over the other half of the lemon and scatter over the sliced onion. Serve.
Notes
Like the look of this recipe? Make sure you pin it for later!
Julie says
I love to learn new ways to make fish. This sounds so flavorful
Traci says
This. is. the. best! I absolutely love trout and these flavors combined take it to the next level. Thanks for sharing this winner!
Melinda Fewless says
This had so much flavor and was a hit for our whole family!
Kara says
Such a quick and easy recipe and so delicious. I love the addition of nigella seeds.
Jess says
You had me at butter! Love the capers and dill combo too!