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    Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce

    By Julia | Updated: Aug 24, 2021 | Published: Oct 21, 2015 | 511 Comments

    387.7K shares
    • Facebook8.1K
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!

    This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

    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.

    2 Trout fillets with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce in a stainless steel skillet

    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.

    2 trout fillets seasoned with herb seasoning in a stainless steel skillet

    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.
    2 Trout fillets seasoned with Italian seasoning, topped with chopped fresh parsley with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce in a stainless steel skillet

    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
    4.80 from 682 votes

    Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce

    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.  Gluten free, healthy, easy-to-make and delicious!   Low-carb dinner rich in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids. A family favorite!   Perfect way to cook an amazing fish: trout. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 380 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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
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    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 Information
    Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    380
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    24
    g
    37
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    6
    g
    38
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    113
    mg
    38
    %
    Sodium
     
    286
    mg
    12
    %
    Potassium
     
    664
    mg
    19
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    2
    g
    1
    %
    Protein
     
    35
    g
    70
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    460
    IU
    9
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    8.8
    mg
    11
    %
    Calcium
     
    101
    mg
    10
    %
    Iron
     
    3.2
    mg
    18
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    Keyword how to cook trout, trout
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Krystal

      January 18, 2018 at 7:46 pm

      Are there any white wine substitutes I can use for the recipe

      Reply
      • Dani

        February 21, 2018 at 6:34 pm

        White wine vinegar!

        Reply
      • Julia

        February 26, 2018 at 6:30 pm

        You can use chicken or vegetable broth.

        Reply
    2. Paul Hawkins

      December 30, 2017 at 3:17 pm

      Caught trout on new fly rod having learnt how to cast from YouTube, then cooked it following this recipe.

      Reply
    3. Mari

      October 25, 2017 at 8:06 pm

      I made this tonight with trout (no skin). The taste was absolutely delish, but the fish fell apart. Not pretty. Did I do something wrong?

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 31, 2017 at 5:06 pm

        I think my fish did not fall apart because I was using the trout with the skin on the bottom. There is some fat around the skin which makes it easy to cook the fish and then to separate flesh from the skin in one piece. You used skinless trout which is probably why it fell apart.

        Reply
    4. meg

      October 04, 2017 at 8:13 pm

      Just made this, first time cooking rainbow trout, and it was AMAZING! Love it, thank you so much. Will be saving to make again on my pinterest board.

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 31, 2017 at 7:16 pm

        Thank you, Meg! I am so happy you liked this!

        Reply
    5. Betty

      August 04, 2017 at 12:13 pm

      Can you bake this too? If yes, what temperature and for how long?

      Reply
    6. Dan

      June 12, 2017 at 8:21 pm

      SO delish!! I've made this twice with rainbow trout and it worked out perfectly. Great flavour, flaky/not-over cooked fish. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
    7. Shaun Edmonds

      June 02, 2017 at 6:16 am

      Nice recipe, and Trout is a much underused fish, even here in the UK where we can get seasonal fresh Brown Trout caught in local rivers. However I have never seen a fillet of fish cooked flesh side down first. Here we always fry skin side first, it allows the fish to slowly cook while being insulated, the colour changes and when its about half way up the fillet we turn it over for a couple of minutes to finish, makes for a much lighter, almost steamed fillet.

      Reply
    8. Andrea

      March 08, 2017 at 8:43 pm

      Made this with catfish fillets and it was amazing! Even my 5 yr old ate it! In repeat in this house. Thanks

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 10, 2017 at 11:59 pm

        Thank you, Andrea! I am glad this recipe was a success in your family! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Audrey

      January 23, 2017 at 8:05 pm

      Very good!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 31, 2017 at 12:33 am

        Thank you! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Hasan

      October 26, 2016 at 2:55 am

      Hi, can you please advise what can we replace white wine with? Something non alcoholic please. Thanks

      Reply
      • Kristen

        November 08, 2016 at 7:16 pm

        In the vinegar section at the grocery store they sell cooking wines which work the same as drinking wine

        Reply
        • Larry

          April 29, 2017 at 4:39 pm

          You should read the question carefully. For religious and other reasons, some people need a non alcoholic substitute. I suggest rice vinegar as a good white wine sub.

          Reply
      • Mel

        July 11, 2017 at 8:32 pm

        You can use either seafood stock or even vegetable stock.

        Reply
    11. Wil

      September 25, 2016 at 6:36 pm

      Made this tonight it turned out great - I used cod and added some lump crab to the sauce - sensational- thanks!

      Reply
    12. Tim

      September 13, 2016 at 12:46 pm

      Wow! This looks amazing! I'm not big on fish but I think I will like this.

      Reply
    13. David Farris

      August 23, 2016 at 2:42 am

      Wow,
      So, I live in Alaska, and have some fresh King Salmon I wanted to cook with tonight, and thought I would try a new recipe. So naturally I took to pintrest and found this gem. Easy, and DELISH! Thanks for posting, thought you should know that it works incredibly well, and will get repeat use!

      Reply
    14. Shawnee

      April 10, 2016 at 11:29 pm

      I made this twice. Very good and easy!

      Reply
    15. jen

      January 20, 2016 at 4:31 pm

      I can use Swai fish for this recipes?

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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