Garnished with a creamy horseradish and celeriac remoulade and topped with crispy croutons, this elegant looking oven baked trout fillet has been cooked to perfection. Follow our step by step recipe to make this spectacular and easy share style dish.
This is one of our favourite ways to cook ocean trout as it’s simple, quick and perfect every time. As a dish, it ticks all the boxes of being easy, fun, healthy and delicious, and definitely one you'll want to make over and over again.
Baking a whole side of trout in the oven is so much easier than portioning and pan frying the fillets. Preparing our step by step baked trout recipe, will not only boost your confidence in the kitchen but it will also put a big smile on your face, when you present this restaurant style dish to your family and loved ones.
Share style food has become pretty popular over the years. As advocates for restaurant style food made easy at home, this trout dish is a perfect example of serving a beautiful share style meal without the fuss of plating up each dish. If this is your style of entertaining too, then our whole baked fish in salt crust and whole poached chicken dishes will be great options too!
But let's first dive into learning how to make this trout dish so that you are all set to dazzle your guests at the next get together!
INGREDIENTS
Below is the list of ingredients to make this baked trout fillet recipe:
Trout fillet is the hero of the dish therefore it must be chosen carefully. Similar to Salmon, Trout has a pinkish coloured flesh which should be firm and without any bruises. Don't buy any slimy looking fillets and also ask your fish monger to de-bone the fish for you as the bones are large and will take time to remove.
Celeriac is a root vegetable that is available most time of the year. Celeriac is not the root of celery by the way, even though they are from the same family.
Horseradish sauce makes part of the remoulade (reh-moo-lahd) which we will be using to cover the fillet with. You can use freshly grated horseradish too if you like, we used cream of horseradish.
Creme fraiche together with the cream of horseradish makes the remoulade creamy smooth. You can substitute the crème fraiche with sour cream or double cream. For a healthier version leave out the crème fraiche and just use the horseradish sauce.
Chives are sprinkled over the fish to add freshness but chives can be replaced with chopped parsley or other herbs if required
White Toast bread is used to make croutons to give texture to the dish. You can substitute the white bread with brioche, brown bread, gluten free bread or even something different like pumpernickel bread.
Lemon zest is used for seasoning! Serve the leftover lemon on the side with the final dish.
Spices & oils I used crushed peppercorns and fennel seeds, sea salt and olive oil. You can add your favourite spices as long as they don't overpower the fish.
HOW TO COOK TROUT FILLET IN THE OVEN
Cooking a whole side of trout might be daunting at first as you certainly don't want to overcook the fish and ruin the meal. That's why we have tested this recipe time and again and have now perfected the cooking time and temperature. So, just follow the recipe as is to get that juicy, tender flesh that flakes off easily with a fork.
We used an ocean trout fillet weighting 970 grams (2.1 pound). This recipe serves 4-6 people with sufficient side dishes but if eaten as a course or as a meal on it's own, you can make this recipe for less people, using half the amount.
To start, feel the flesh of the fish and remove any remaining bones with a tweezer. Place a parchment paper on a large baking tray and drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle salt on the top.
Place the fish skin side down on the tray. Season the trout fillet with olive oil, sea salt, crushed peppercorns, fennel seeds and grate the zest of a lemon on the top.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at at 190 degrees for 15 minutes. Leave the fish to rest for 4-5 minutes before spreading the remoulade on it.
Remember, the fish will continue cooking when you remove it from the oven so If you like to eat the trout slightly undercooked (as seen in the last image below) then 15 minutes will be enough time to cook.
But If you prefer the fish cooked closer to well done, then add another 3-4 minutes to the cooking time.
HOW TO MAKE BREAD CROUTONS
To make the bread croutons cut the brown sides from the white bread slices. Cut the bread into stripes and finally into small dices. Heat up the frying oil and fry the croutons until golden brown.
They usually take only a minute or two, so be careful not to burn them. Remove the croutons and drain off the excess oil. Season with salt and preferably use while still warm.
HOW TO MAKE CELERIAC REMOULADE
This celeriac remoulade is not a traditional recipe since I have used crème fraiche and cream of horseradish instead of mayonnaise. The remoulade is used to cover the fish so we have tried to keep it light.
To make the remoulade cut the ends of the celeriac and peel the sides.
Cut the peeled celeriac into smaller pieces and shred into stripes using a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can cut the stripes using a kitchen knife. Blanch the celeriac in boiling salted water for 20-30 seconds.
Refresh the celeriac in ice cold water to stop it from cooking further as we want the celeriac to still have a bite. Meanwhile mix the crème fraiche with the cream of horseradish sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Now, drain off the excess water from the celeriac and add it to the crème fraiche-horseradish and mix well.
Spread the celeriac remoulade evenly over the cooked trout fillet and sprinkle chopped chives all over.
Lastly, garnish with the fried bread croutons and your oven baked trout fillet with celeriac remoulade is ready to serve!
COMMON QUESTIONS
To check the doneness of the fish, use a skewer to insert inside the thickest part of the fish. If the skewer goes through the flesh without any resistance, the fish is done. Another way to check is to hold the skewer (has to be a stainless steel skewer) to your lips after inserting, if the skewer is cold, the fish needs longer and if hot, the fish is done.
You can make the same recipe with a salmon fillet. Other fish that will work well are cod fish, barramundi, red snapper, sea bass or grouper. You will have to increase the cooking temperature for some of these fish to ensure they cook through.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
The oven baked trout fillet can be served on it's own but if you are serving it for a family meal or for a gathering, then it's recommend serving it along with 2-3 side dishes.
Here are some side dishes that will go well with this recipe:
Easy brussels sprout slaw with raisins
Baked sweet potatoes with lentils and swiss chard
Fennel & orange salad with feta cheese
If you are looking at making a dish that stands out a little more, then this oven baked trout fillet recipe is definitely one you should make next! We are excited to hear your feedback so do leave us a comment and star rating below when you make it!
Oven Baked Trout Fillet with Celeriac Remoulade
Equipment
- large oven tray
- cooking pot
- food processor
- grater or microplane
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
for the trout
- 970 gram trout fillet (1 side)
- 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt
for the celeriac remoulade
- 1 medium celeriac bulb
- 1½ tablespoon horseradish sauce
- 200 gram creme fraiche
- sea salt and pepper
for the garnish
- 1 bunch chives finely chopped
- 2 slices white toast bread
- frying oil
- sea salt
Instructions
for the trout
- Remove any remaining bones from the fish. Place a parchment paper on a large baking tray and sprinkle some olive oil and salt on the top.
- Place the fish skin side down on the tray. Season the trout fillet with olive oil, sea salt, crushed peppercorns and fennel seeds.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes for a pinkish flesh. Leave the fish to rest for 4-5 minutes before adding the remoulade garnish.
for the celeriac remoulade
- To make the remoulade cut the ends of the celeriac and cut around the sides. Cut the peeled celeriac in smaller pieces and shred into stripes using a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can cut stripes using a knife.
- Blanch the celeriac in boiling salt water for 20-30 seconds. Refresh the celeriac in ice cold water to stop it from further cooking. We want the celeriac to still have a bite. Drain off the excess water from the celeriac.
- Mix the creme fraiche with horseradish sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the celeriac and mix well.
for the garnish
- To make the bread croutons cut the brown sides from the white bread slices. Cut the bread into stripes and finally into small dices.
- Heat the frying oil and fry the croutons until golden brown. They usually take only a minute or two so be careful not to burn them. Remove the croutons and drain off the excess oil. Season with salt.
- Spread the celeriac remoulade evenly over the cooked trout fillet. Garnish with chopped chives and the bread croutons and serve.
Sarah
What a delicious way to cook trout and that celeriac remoulade goes so well with the oily fish. This would make a fantastic festive meal or a next level brunch, yum!
Shilpi & Etienne
Thanks Sarah! we couldn't have summed it better! It's a great dish for sharing!
Sylvie
That dish would be absolutely perfect for a fancy party or barbecue this summer! I can definitely see it on the Holiday table too 🙂
Shilpi & Etienne
Its ideal for entertaining especially if you don't want to miss out on all the fun your guests are having! As much as we love plating up food, at times its just nice to have something like this with a couple of sides😁