On the Menu – Catch of the Summer
Grilled Trout Almondine…
Long before trout showed up on white-tablecloth menus with a sprig of dill and a price tag to match, trout was the fish you caught yourself — out of a cold mountain creek where the water runs so clear you can count the pebbles on the bottom. It fed indigenous tribes, explorers, settlers and every kid who sat on a riverbank with a cane pole and more patience than sense.
This recipe is beautifully uncomplicated. Trout, butter, garlic, lemon, a handful of almonds and a sheet of heavy-duty foil. That’s it.
The foil packet method is one of those techniques that looks modest on paper but delivers something impressive. The fish steams inside its own little envelope, bathed in garlicky, lemony butter, while the almonds soften just enough to turn nutty and rich without losing their texture. It’s camping food elevated to dinner-party territory, which is a trick worth knowing.
Whole fish or fillets? Either works here. If you’ve never cooked a whole trout, now is the time to try it. The bones come away cleanly after cooking, and there’s a particular satisfaction in presenting something that still looks like what it was. But fillets are equally at home in this recipe, and they’re faster to deal with when the kids are hungry and the sun is going down.
The butter mixture is nothing revolutionary, but the combination does exactly what it needs to do. The lemon keeps the butter from feeling heavy. The garlic perfumes the whole packet as it cooks. The parsley is there for color and a faint herbal brightness. Don’t skip fresh lemon for this; the bottled stuff is a different ingredient entirely, and not in a good way.
A word about the foil: crimp it well. The goal is a sealed packet that holds steam, not a loose wrapper that lets everything escape onto the grill grate. If you’re using standard foil rather than the heavy-duty variety, double layer it.
All it takes is about 10 minutes over medium-high heat. Trout is a quick-cooking fish, and the steam inside the packet speeds things along. You’ll know it’s done when the flesh turns opaque and separates easily into flakes when you press it with a fork. Open the packet carefully — the steam that billows out is hot.
Serve it straight from the foil on warm plates, with extra lemon wedges on the side. A simple green salad and some crusty bread are all the accompaniment this needs. Maybe a glass of something crisp and white. Or an ice-cold beer or sun tea.•
Grilled Trout Almondine
Servings: 4 || Prep Time: 10 minutes || Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 whole trout (cleaned and gutted) or 4 trout fillets
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 4 T unsalted butter, melted
- 2 T fresh lemon juice (plus lemon wedges for serving)
- 1 T fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 cloves garlics, minced
- ½ T salt
- ½ T black pepper
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Directions
Step 1: Heat your gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees).
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, lemon juice, minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Tear off large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or double-layer standard foil to prevent tearing). Place the trout on the foil and drizzle the butter mixture evenly over the fish. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of each fillet or inside the cavity if using whole trout.
Step 4: Bring the sides of the foil together and fold them over to double-fold the top, then fold and crimp the ends to create a tightly sealed packet. This traps the steam.
Step 5: Place the foil packets on the grate. Cover and grill for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillets) or until the trout is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Step 6: Carefully open the foil packets. Watch out for the escaping steam. Transfer to plates and serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
Article and Recipe Written by:
Al Olson loves culinary arts, adult beverages and hiking in the North State wilderness. You may find him soaking up the scenery at one of our area’s many state or national parks or sitting in a barstool sipping a cold locally brewed craft beer.
