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Grilled Whole Trout with Lemon and Herbs

Name: Grilled Whole Trout with Lemon and Herbs
Prep time: 27 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: trout — 1361 g; olive oil — 41 g; salt — 10 g; freshly ground black pepper — 3 g; lemons — 130 g; thyme — 2 g; handful parsley — 30 g; dill — 2 g; garlic — 12 g; unsalted butter — 27 g

Grilled Whole Trout with Lemon and Herbs reads sourness 6.7, citrus 6.7 and richness 6.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a American main, about 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.5 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.5 / 10
Sour & Bright — 8.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.4 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 6.7 · Citrus 6.7 · Richness 6.0 · Umami 4.8 · Allium 4.1 · Salinity 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.3 · Marine & Briny 2.8 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Bitterness 1.5 · Sweetness 1.4 · Nutty 1.2 · Smoke 1.1 · Floral 1.0 · Earthy 0.7 · Heat 0.6

What's in it (10)

trout — 1361 g
olive oil — 41 g
salt — 10 g
freshly ground black pepper — 3 g
lemons — 130 g
thyme — 2 g
handful parsley — 30 g
dill — 2 g
garlic — 12 g
unsalted butter — 27 g

Time & effort: about 30 min (27 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 147.1 kcal, 18.6 g protein, 8.1 g fat, 2.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Prepare a grill for direct medium-high heat (about 425-450F). Scrub the grates clean, then fold a paper towel, dip it in a little olive oil, and wipe the grates well so the skin won't stick.
Pat the trout dry inside and out with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, cut 2-3 shallow diagonal slashes into the thickest part of the flesh on each side of each fish, about 1/4 inch deep.
Rub 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the trout, inside and out, then season the cavities and skin all over with the kosher salt and pepper.
Divide the lemon slices, thyme sprigs, parsley, dill sprigs, and garlic evenly among the four fish cavities, pressing the herbs in loosely so the fish still closes.
Brush the outside of each trout with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Lay the trout directly on the hot, oiled grates. Grill undisturbed until the skin is well-marked, releases cleanly from the grates, and no longer sticks, 4-5 minutes.
Carefully flip each trout with a wide fish spatula and grill the second side until the flesh flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145F at the thickest point, 4-5 minutes more.
Transfer the trout to a platter and let rest 3 minutes. Drizzle with the melted butter, scatter with the extra parsley leaves, and serve with the lemon wedges.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Caper Butter — American
Fiesta Baked Salmon — Fusion
Lemon-Rosemary Greek Roast Chicken — Greek
Souvlaki — Greek
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato — Portuguese

Keep reading: what sourness, citrus, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.