Crisp Trout with Roasted Fennel-Potato Hash
A bright, weeknight-friendly Pacific Northwest dinner: crisp-skinned trout with a warm fingerling potato and fennel hash, plus a quick lemony spinach finish. It feels restauranty, but it’s built around seasonal Washington produce and cooks in one skillet plus one sheet pan.
Back to full listIngredients
- Whole rainbow trout 1 to 1 1/4 lb whole fish $9.99/lb
- Fingerling or small potatoes 12 oz, halved seasonal pantry/produce
- Fennel bulb 1 small bulb, thinly sliced seasonal pantry/produce
- Fresh spinach 4 oz seasonal pantry/produce
- Lemon 1 seasonal pantry/produce
- Garlic 2 cloves, minced seasonal pantry/produce
- Olive oil 2 1/2 tbsp pantry
- Salt to taste pantry
- Black pepper to taste pantry
- Optional fresh dill or parsley 1 tbsp chopped seasonal pantry/produce
Instructions
- Prep 1 whole rainbow trout (about 1 to 1 1/4 lb at $9.99/lb) by patting it very dry inside and out. Season the cavity and skin with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and half of 1 lemon cut into thin slices. Stuff the cavity with the lemon slices and, if you have it, 1 tbsp chopped dill or parsley.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss 12 oz halved fingerling or small potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few grinds of black pepper on a sheet pan. Roast for 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes start, thinly slice 1 small fennel bulb and mince 2 garlic cloves. Toss the sliced fennel with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, then add it to the sheet pan with the potatoes. Roast 12 to 15 minutes more until the potatoes are tender and the fennel is caramelized at the edges.
- While the vegetables roast, heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the seasoned whole rainbow trout and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the first side until the skin is browned and crisp.
- Carefully transfer the skillet with the trout to the 425°F oven and roast 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness, until the flesh flakes easily.
- Return the skillet to the stove over low heat. Add 4 oz spinach, the minced 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp water, and a pinch of salt around the trout if there is room, or remove the trout to a plate first and wilt the spinach in the same pan for 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining 1/2 lemon.
- Plate the roasted trout with the roasted potato-fennel hash and lemony spinach. Spoon any pan juices over the fish before serving.
Cook time: 35 minutes
Estimated cost: $16-20
Health notes: Approx. 520-620 calories per serving. High in protein and omega-3s, with potassium from potatoes and folate/iron from spinach. Use moderate oil and extra lemon to keep the dish light.
Drink pairing: A crisp Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for the trout’s richness and lemony greens; Pinot Gris also works beautifully with the fennel and delicate fish.