Trout Recipe with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce - simple and delicious way to cook fish, especially if you're in a hurry! The whole recipe takes only 30 minutes. Italian herb seasoning, chopped fresh parsley and garlic give great flavor to the fish! Healthy, low-carb dinner rich in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Trout fillets are usually pretty thin which makes them perfect for cooking on stove top in a skillet. One of the best trout recipes I've tried is simply cooking the trout in the skillet in olive oil, and then adding garlic, lemon juice, white wine, fresh parsley and butter. That's it! Simple and delicious.
What makes this trout recipe work:
- The ingredient list for this trout recipe is short and simple.
- The trout itself is such a delicate fish with a great flavor, it doesn't need too many ingredients or special technique to enhance it. So, just cook it in a large skillet on stove top with olive oil and butter, garlic, butter, lemon juice, white wine, fresh parsley.
- The cooking times are short since trout fillets are usually pretty thin. This trout recipe takes only 30 minutes from start to finish.
I have also made this recipe using the type of fish I've never cooked with before - Arctic Char. Arctic Char looks very similar to trout, and it's closely related to both salmon and trout. Therefore, this recipe will also work with salmon and arctic char. Very easy and versatile!
Other trout recipes
- Another simple way to cook trout is simply to enhance it with capers, garlic, lemon and butter. I combined just those ingredients to make this easy and delicious Trout with Caper-Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce. And yes, I used steelhead trout for this recipe but you can use a regular trout.
- I made this recipe with salmon - but it is easily adaptable for trout: Garlic Parmesan Crusted Salmon and Asparagus
Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds trout or salmon, or arctic char - 2 large fish fillets with skin on the bottom
- 2 tablespoons olive oil more, if needed
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (dried thyme, oregano, parsley, combined together)
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Instructions
- Season the top of fish fillets with Italian herb seasoning and salt (generously). Fish fillets will have skins on the bottom - no need to season the skins.
- In a large skillet (large enough to fit 2 fish fillets), heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat until heated but not smoking. To the hot skillet with olive oil, add fish fillets skin side up - flesh side down. Cook the flesh side of the fish for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat, making sure the oil does not smoke, until lightly browned.
- Flip the fillets over to the other side, skin side down (add more oil, if needed). Cook for another 2-4 minutes on medium heat (to prevent oil from burning).
- Remove the skillet from heat, close with the lid, and let the fish sit for 5-10 minutes, covered, in the skillet, until flaky and cooked through completely.
- After the fish is cooked through, off heat, using spatula, carefully remove fillets to the plate, separating the fish from the skin. Carefully remove or scrape the fish skin off the bottom of the pan, making sure to leave all the cooking oils in the pan.
- Add diced garlic, lemon juice, and white wine to the same pan with oil. Cook on medium-low heat for about 1 minute, until garlic softens a bit. Remove from heat. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, and 2 tablespoons of butter, off heat, to the sauce, stirring, until the butter melts and forms a creamy mixture.
- Add fish to the pan, spoon sauce over the fish, top the fish and sauce with the remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley, and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
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.
What have I been cooking in my kitchen?
1 Year Ago: Seared Scallops with Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce
2 Years Ago: Cilantro Lime Potato Salad
I made this twice now. It is a wonder full dish but there is no sauce to pour over after the garlic cooks. I mean…a little but hardly. It still turns out good. I’m still going to make it because the end product is yummmy. But not saucey at all
Hi Margaret, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your review. If you want a recipe with more sauce, take a look at this one:
https://juliasalbum.com/trout-with-caper-garlic-lemon-butter-sauce/
Julia,
Hands down the absolute best trout recipe I have ever tried. Easy, Flavorful, and Quick. I try to eat fish 2x a week and this recioe has made trout a weekly dish. My wife is on total agreement. Thank you
Oh wow! I am so honored that both of you feel this way about this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your 5-star review!! 🙂
I’m confused about the separation of the flesh from the skin. Are you suggesting not eating the skin? Thanks!
I personally love eating the skin! But since a lot of people (including my husband) aren’t fans, I recommend separating it and keeping it aside — it’ll stay nice and crisp that way, too.
Excellent! I had never cooked trout before, so I decided to give it a try during Lent. This recipe is easy and delicious. My 5 year old love it too! I'm making it again tonight.
Hi Kristen! I am so glad you enjoyed this dish and thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it! 🙂
You were right. I just made this. Very easy and fast.
DELICIOUS
So glad you loved it, Robyn. Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
First time I have ever cooked or eaten trout. Recipe way quick, easy, and ABSOLUTELY delicious!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Yay!! I’m so glad your first trout experience was such a hit! Thanks for trying the recipe—and for the kind words! Hope it’s the first of many trout dinners to come! 🙂 🙂
Forgot to rate!
Thanks, Jackie! 🙂
Excellent, tasty recipe - thank you!
I am so happy to hear that! 🙂
This is such absolutely delish!!!! It was not only easy but takes minutes. I will definitely use this again, and I thought I didn't really like trout. My husband loved it also.
OMG, I am so flattered! Thank you for your review!
Quick and easy. Not a lot of liquid for sauce, so I just sort of rolled my fish pieces in the saucy skillet. Delicious!
Used some Trader Joes garlic-herb butter, because I had some. 😉
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I was looking for a new way to make trout since we fly fish and got tired of making it the same way (either pan fried or baked). This is the best recipe and way more flavor than the other recipes I’ve been using. I’m looking forward to making again. Will actually keep more fish instead of tossing them all back!
OMG, Khristin, I am so flattered!! 🙂 🙂 Thank you for your fantastic review - I really appreciate it! 🙂