Comfort cooking on a winter’s evening.
Potatoes are a mainstay in my winter kitchen, as are seasonal lemons. I typically have olives and wine at the ready, so after a quick trip to my local fishmonger, Mark Drabich of Metropolitan Seafood, (check out this fantastic article about him here) to see what beauties he’s brought in from New York’s Fulton Fish Market, it’s easily whole trout with roasted potatoes and olives for dinner tonight.
Crisp, golden potatoes and oven-roasted olives are perfectly enhanced by a splash of white wine and a flavor that can only come from a whole rainbow trout gently nestled on top and lightly stuffed with lemon and thyme.
There’s something about serving a whole fish – it makes for a beautiful table presentation and the aromatics make the fish perfectly tender and succulent.
If you’ve never prepared a whole fish before, don’t be intimidated. Contrary to how it may appear, there’s very little prep involved, especially if you have a trusted fishmonger – just ask them to clean and de-bone the fish for you.
Whole trout with roasted potatoes and olives is a very forgiving recipe – add your favorite briny olives, halve cherry tomatoes when they are in season, toss in some capers, and use whatever herbs you have on hand. The trout can be substituted for any mild, white-fleshed whole fish like bass or sole.
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp mixed dried Italian herbs
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 3-4 medium potatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch (5-mm) thick
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Bunch of fresh thyme sprigs, divided
- 10 Castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced in half or any briny olive of choice
- 1 large rainbow trout, cleaned and de-boned, with head and tail on
- 1 organic lemon, sliced in rounds (about 1/4-inch [5-mm] thick)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine recommended: Sauvignon Blanc
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. (204 C.).
- In a small bowl add the dried Italian herbs and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil. Stir together to incorporate well. Mixture will be somewhat thick and pasty. Set aside.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the potato slices and shallots and season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of olive oil and use clean hands to toss everything together, making sure to coat all of the potatoes well. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer, it is fine if they slightly overlap. Add the sliced olives and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, saving some thyme for stuffing the fish.
- Roast the potatoes and olives for 20 minutes, they should be lightly golden and crisp around the edges (they’ll continue to cook longer with the trout).
- While the potatoes roast, prepare the fish. On a clean work surface, pat the trout dry. Season the inside evenly with salt and pepper. Using a cooking brush or the back of a spoon, brush the Italian herb mixture evenly inside the trout. Lay the lemon slices inside the trout and stuff with the remaining thyme leaves (or the desired amount). To help lift the fish later, use kitchen twine to secure the fish or have two spatulas handy. Set aside.
- Once the potatoes are ready, pull the pan out of the oven and lower the heat to 350 F (177 C.).
- Carefully lift the trout and place it on top of the potatoes, brush the trout lightly with olive oil. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the white wine over the trout and potatoes as evenly as possible. Continue to roast for 20 minutes more, or until the trout is fully cooked. Let the trout rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
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