It's easy to cook up whole grilled trout once you know how. This recipe for grilled trout uses fresh herbs, garlic and lemon. Delicious and simple!

Grilling a whole trout is intimidating for some...until they actually try it. This recipe, with its 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking time, has a simple ingredients list and produces a flavorful dish you'll want to try again.
The recipe here assumes you're using two whole trout that have already been cleaned and are ready for cooking. Cleaning fish is a bit outside the scope of this article, but if you need to clean your own trout make sure to remove the vein you'll find along the spine--skipping that step can add flavors to this dish you DON'T want.
Before you start the recipe, there are a couple of choices to make. If you enjoy your fish with the skin on, you'll want to scrape off the scales before you prep the rest of the meal. And then there's washing your fish.
Many sources recommend washing your trout in cold water before preparing. It cuts down on the fishy smell when cooking and you'll have an overall more pleasant experience cooking the meal.
How to Cook Trout on the Grill in Foil
Instead of using a cooking grate you can also grill trout in a foil boat. Here is how:
- Tear off 10" by 10" sheets of aluminum foil for each fillet (about 5 - 6 inches longer the fillet.)
- Prepare your foil in a little boat shape by turning up the edges of the foil to create a boat-like shape.
- Place one whole trout in the center of each sheet.
- Close up the foil packet tightly so steam will not escape
Tip: Heavy duty aluminum foil works best when grilling.
How to Store Grilled Trout
Trout can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Whole Grilled Trout with Fresh Herbs, Garlic and Lemon
This recipe works best with a whole fish because you will want to place all the herbs inside of it. This recipe is for 2 trout, a pound each, so adjust the amounts accordingly.
Ingredients
- 2 whole trout
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon slices, about 2-3 slices per fish
Instructions
- Mix together the herbs and garlic.
- Spread evenly inside the trout.
- Add lemon slices (two or three per fish, depending on size).
- Cover and refrigerate at least two hours.
- Oil cooking grate and preheat grill.
- Sprinkle fish with salt & pepper.
- Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side over medium heat or until fish is cooked through (larger fish can take a good fifteen minutes, so use your good judgement).
- Carefully remove fish from grill, sprinkle with more chopped parsley and lemon slices to garnish, and serve!
Notes
You can leave the head and tail on the trout or remove it before cooking, depending on your preference. Same with whether to debone the fish or serve-as-is.
If you have any fish left over, the meat from the bones and store meat in a container in the fridge (discard bones).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 585Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 191mgSodium: 503mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 84g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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Jason says
Great recipe. Was extremely easy to put together and worked wonderfully on my trout. As a Christmas gift, I was given a 5.5 lb. brown trout. I was able to cook the entire fish with this instead of 2 fish.
Thanks!
the wicked noodle says
That's awesome, Jason! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Stephanie says
Glad I found this! Just bought some trout today and this recipe sounds simple and delicious!
the wicked noodle says
Perfect! I hope you enjoy it!
PB says
Fresh fish always taste sweeter than those bought in the supermarkets. I remember when I was smaller, I had the chance to eat grilled fishes freshly caught from the sea. I still dream about the taste... Your recipe would make it better. Thanks for sharing!