The basics of cooking trout

You should remember that trout is actually very simple to cook!

Grilled: score the thickest part of the fish 2 or 3 times so that the heat can penetrate. Brush lightly with oil or butter. Lie the fish in the grill pan and grill for 5 8 minutes each side, dependent on the thickness. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Baked: Bake in a greased oven-proof dish or wrapped in foil parcels. Add butter or oil to the trout and moisten with some fruit juice or wine. Bake for 20 30 minutes.

Poached: Place a whole trout or steak in a pan and cover with slightly salted water.Poach gently for 10 12 minutes. Serve hot or cold with butter sauce or mayonnaise.

Fried: Dust with seasoned flour and fry in butter or oil for 5 minutes on each side. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, herb butter or mayonnaise.

Microwaved: Score each side of a whole trout before cooking then place in a microwave proof dish with 6 tablespoons of water. Generally each trout should take about 4 6 minutes to cook but as machines vary please consult your manual.

When is it ready?
Use the fork test to check whether trout is cooked properly. If the flesh separates easily from the backbone, it is ready.