Trout with Rosemary and Lemon

This recipe is so easy that I’m a little embarrassed to call it a recipe. It’s kind of like posting a recipe for s’mores. But it was so extremely tasty that I had to share it with you.

The Bean recently celebrated his sixth birthday. We had been listening to a Sterling North novel about a boy growing up in the Great Lakes region and doing lots of fishing. So guess what he wanted to do for his birthday? Of course, he wanted to go fishing. Now, neither the Sweetie Pie nor myself have ever spent much time fishing. I suppose we could have tied a string on a stick for him, but we didn’t really think that would be very satisfying. So we called in the experts–some family friends who are very skilled fisher-people. Sure enough, the Bean came home with three beautiful trout and a big smile.

Thankfully, the nice people at the pond had cleaned the fish for me. Otherwise this might have been a completely different post. So I was presented with three fresh fish and a plea of “Could we please have these for dinner?” What mother could say no to that?

I couldn’t find a recipe that quite matched the ingredients I had on hand and was simple enough to whip up after a day of birthday celebration. I ended up doing my own thing, and checking other recipes for clues on times and temperatures. The fish took five minutes to prepare and then was in the oven. And it cooked just long enough to give me time to saute some potatoes and throw together a salad. Dinner was on the table in 20 minutes. Perfect.

Everyone at the table loved this dish and asked for seconds. I was surprised by how much flavor the fish picked up from the lemons and fresh herbs. You could play around with it and substitute other herbs, and even other citrus. Maybe orange and oregano? Or lime and basil? You could also try cooking this on the grill, or even on the campfire.

We had one fish left over that we put into a frittata the next day, which worked beautifully. I nibbled a few bites while it was cold and thought it would also have been tasty in a salad. So, I recommend making enough to have leftovers, because it’s just as tasty cold the next day.

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