Quickly sauteed in butter and finished with lemon juice, this pan-fried rainbow trout is as easy as it's delicious.
Ready in just 20 minutes, it's the perfect dish to make when you're not in the mood for an elaborate recipe.
I cook fish and seafood recipes several times a week, including baked salmon, shrimp scampi, and grilled halibut. This rainbow trout recipe is one of my favorites.
Rainbow trout is a delicious fish - a delicate version of salmon. The simple flavors of browned butter and lemon complement it well, and the quick preparation time is a bonus.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Rainbow trout: I buy frozen fillets at Trader Joe's. I defrost them overnight in the fridge, then rinse and pat dry.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Fat for frying: I use a combination of butter and ghee. The addition of ghee helps prevent the butter from burning.
- Lemon juice: I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice in this recipe.
- Minced parsley: Mostly used for garnish, but it also adds a layer of flavor.
Variations
This is a simple recipe, and that's a big part of its appeal. So, I don't usually make too many changes. But if you'd like, adding more spices is an excellent way to change things up. When sprinkling the fish with garlic powder, I sometimes add a pinch of paprika and dried thyme.
Another variation is to cook the fish in two tablespoons of olive oil instead of the butter/ghee combination. I tried it and liked it, but I prefer butter. It turns into browned butter and is delicious.
Rainbow Trout Instructions
Here's an overview of the steps for making this recipe. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below.
Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels, then season them with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat the ghee and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts foaming, add the fish, skin side down.
Cook the fish until the skin is browned, for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with garlic powder.
Carefully flip the trout fillets, lower the heat to medium, and continue cooking until they're cooked through. This should take 2-3 more minutes.
Add the lemon juice to the skillet and remove it from the heat. Transfer the fish fillets to plates, drizzle them with the pan juices, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Expert Tips
- To help the skin brown, gently press on the fillets with a spatula to ensure the skin has full contact with the pan.
- The addition of ghee helps prevent the butter from burning. It will still brown, and you'll get delicious brown butter. But if the pan doesn't get overheated, it shouldn't burn.
- I add the garlic powder midway through cooking to ensure it doesn't burn.
Recipe FAQs
This freshwater fish belongs to the same family as the Pacific salmon. Its skin is dark, its flesh is pink, and it has a distinctive red line, as shown in the photo below. Its flavor is similar to salmon but milder and more delicate.
Yes. Rainbow trout fillets are typically sold with the skin on, and that's good because the skin is fatty and delicious!
The skin also provides a protective layer between the fish and the hot pan, helping protect the flesh from drying out.
Cooking fish skin-side down has two advantages. The first is that it helps crisp up the skin. Typically, you cook the fish longer on the first side, so you want that side to be the skin side.
The second advantage is that when it's time to flip the fish, it's easier to slide a spatula under the fish's skin than under its flesh.
Serving Suggestions
When plating the trout, I like to place it on a bed of sauteed spinach or steamed spinach. I cook the spinach first, then keep it in a warm oven (170°F) and cook the fish.
I also like to serve this fish with steamed broccoli, sugar snap peas, roasted cherry tomatoes, or sauteed broccolini.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to a month.
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Recipe Card
Pan-Fried Rainbow Trout
Ingredients
- 2 (4 ounces) rainbow trout fillets (bones removed, skin on)
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons parsley minced
Instructions
- Pat the trout fillets dry using paper towels. Sprinkle them on both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter and ghee over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat. When the butter starts foaming, add the fillets to the pan, skin side down.
- Cook the trout fillets, gently pressing on them with a wide spatula to ensure the skin has contact with the pan surface, until the skin is browned, for about 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top of the fillets with garlic powder. Very carefully flip them over. Lower the heat to medium and keep cooking the fish until cooked through, for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the lemon juice to the pan and remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the fish to plates. Drizzle the pan juices over the fish. Sprinkle them with parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- The addition of ghee helps prevent the butter from burning. It will still brown, and you'll get delicious brown butter, but as long as the pan doesn't get overheated, it shouldn't burn. If the pan seems to be heating too much, lower the heat.
- I add the garlic powder midway through cooking to ensure it doesn't burn.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to a month.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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