Lemon Pepper Garlic Rainbow Trout and Asparagus baked on a sheet pan in the oven. Healthy, low-carb, and gluten-free recipe, packed with healthy omega 3 fatty acids. Easy and quick - only 30 minutes from start to finish!
For this recipe, I used a single large rainbow trout fillet which made 2 generous servings. You can easily double this recipe by using 2 trout fillets.
Rainbow trout is such a tasty fish with a wonderful yet mild flavor - it doesn't need much enhancing at all, which makes it a very easy fish to cook. To bring out the best flavor out of trout, I used very basic ingredients: olive oil, salt and pepper, minced garlic, and fresh lemon slices. That's it! That's all you really need to make the best rainbow trout!
The fish is baked on a sheet pan together with asparagus. This recipe makes a complete meal: you get the dinner (trout) and the side dish (asparagus) done at the same time.
About trout
- Trout is low carb and contains a good amount of protein. There are also health benefits to eating trout as it is packed with omega 3 fatty acids.
- Asparagus has a low carb content and makes an excellent side dish for trout.
What spices to use for cooking rainbow trout
There are lots of ways that you can enhance the flavor of trout with simple ingredients:
- Use basic ingredients, such as salt and pepper, minced garlic, and lemon slices.
- Dried and fresh herbs go great with rainbow trout. Use thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, or dill.
- Use dry rubs for fish. You can buy excellent dry rubs made specifically for fish in various stores, or you can make your own. It's easy to make your own dry rub for fish: combine small amounts of dried paprika, chili powder, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt & pepper, and dried herbs, such as oregano, parsley, cilantro, etc.
How to cook rainbow trout fillets in the oven
Rainbow trout fillets are usually quite large in size, which makes them well-suited for baking on a sheet pan in the oven! Here is how to make baked rainbow trout:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a rimmed small baking sheet (I used half sheet) with parchment paper.
- Place trout fillet skin side down in center of the baking sheet. Brush 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the trout.
- Sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper over the trout.
- Spread minced garlic over the trout fillet.
- Top trout with lemon slices.
- Bake for about 15 minutes at 400 F in the preheated oven until the trout fillet is cooked through.
Step-by-step photos for cooking the rainbow trout:
Place the trout fillet skin side down and asparagus on a parchment paper lined sheet pan:
Spread olive oil over the trout and the asparagus. Sprinkle the fish and the vegetables with salt and black pepper. Add minced fresh garlic on top.
Add thinly sliced lemon.
Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 15 minutes.
Remove lemon slices before serving, if you like.
What to serve with rainbow trout:
- Oven-roasted vegetables, such as asparagus, sliced bell peppers, red onions.
- Grilled vegetables, such as squash, zucchini, red onions, asparagus, or bell peppers.
- Potatoes. Serve mashed potatoes or oven-baked potatoes roasted with herbs and garlic in olive oil.
- Fresh green salad. Make a simple green salad by tossing together spinach, or arugula, or mixed salad greens with a small amount of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Top the salad with shredded Parmesan cheese and a handful of nuts, such as cashew nuts, pine nuts, or toasted slivered almonds.
- Rice. Jasmine rice is an excellent side dish choice for trout fish. For more flavor, serve wild rice or flavored rice.
Other trout recipes
These 2 recipes feature pan-fried trout cooked in a large skillet on a stovetop:
- Trout Recipe with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce - pan-fried trout made with Italian herb seasoning, chopped fresh parsley, and garlic butter sauce.
- Steelhead Trout with Garlic Butter Lemon Caper Sauce - healthy and low-carb dinner rich in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Side dishes to serve with rainbow trout
Fresh, colorful, Mediterranean-style salads are a way to go with trout:
- Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Basil Pesto
- Tomato Basil Avocado Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Dressing
You can also serve plain rice or flavored rice as a side dish. Make your own flavored rice:
Baked Rainbow Trout with Lemon, Pepper, and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 pound rainbow trout
- 1 pound asparagus
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper , cracked
- ½ lemon , sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a rimmed small baking sheet (I used half sheet) with parchment paper.
- Place rainbow trout skin side down in the center of the baking sheet. Brush half of olive oil amount over the top of trout.
- Toss the asparagus (ends trimmed) with the remaining half of olive oil. Place asparagus all around trout on a sheet pan.
- Sprinkle the trout and the asparagus with salt and pepper. Add minced garlic on top of the trout fillet and asparagus. Top with lemon slices.
- Bake for about 15 minutes at 400 F in the preheated oven until the trout is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven. Remove lemon slices from the trout before serving.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This is my first time leaving a recipe review, but this was AMAZING! I cut down on the olive oil a bit, but otherwise made it as written. So good; it will be made again and again! My husband couldn't stop raving about this, and it was so easy to make! I added baked potatoes, and he thought he was at a 4 star restaurant!
Lori, I am so happy you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! And, thank you for sharing your feedback and the 5-star review - I appreciate it! What a great idea to serve this with baked potatoes! 🙂
Rainbow trout is not red; it is a white flesh fish.
The fish in the picture here looks more like salmon....
I did like the recipe for my trout, however...
Thanks for the feedback - and glad you liked the recipe! That's how my local store labeled this fish.
Larger and slightly older rainbow trout will change from the white pale color of younger, often farm raised trout to the more orange color of fresh salmon. I am one hundred percent certain of my statement as I have fished for and caught rainbow trout for many years. This includes the two salmon colored trout that I will cook today which I caught yesterday.
David, I did not know that - thank you so much for sharing this interesting bit of information!
I prefer rainbow trout over salmon and always come back to this recipe when making my rainbow trout!! Best recipe ever!!! My husband and I absolutely love it!
Claudia, thank you so much for such a positive and enthusiastic comment! 🙂 I love trout, too - what a great fish!
Julia I have just transcended the prison of my mortal flesh because of this recipe. It was so flavourful, AAAGHAGAHAGAGAH. I added rosemary and some potatoes. My familly and I loved it. Keep up the great work! 🙂
Aaron, so glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for stopping by and sharing such a positive comment! 🙂
This was an easy simple recipe for a quick dinner. Tastes amazing family loved it!
So glad you liked it! Thank you for the comment and 5 star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂
This is ridiculously easy yet so so so flavorful! Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
It’s me again. Wanted to stop by and say how much we enjoy this recipe. We now ONLY eat rainbow trout. Bye bye salmon and non-rainbow trout
Thank you again for the easiest, tastiest recipe!
Kaybee, thank you so much for such a positive and generous comment! I so appreciate that you took the time to share this wonderful and super-positive feedback! 🙂
Delicious and so very simple to make. I forgot we’d eaten the asparagus yesterday, so I substituted French green beans, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. Worked fine. Thanks for providing a yummy, easy recipe.
Annette, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe. Love your side dishes!
Could I use Brussel sprouts instead of asparagus?
Just tried it with green beans and red bell peppers, tented tinfoil over top of the whole pan to lock in the moisture and trouts really moist turned out great,
I'm just learning to cook in my 40's and love it, thank you for posting Julia! Nice and simple!
Wish I could post a pic of it:)
Made this without the asparagus, it was so good and easy. will definitely make again!