Whole Roasted Trout

1. Stage

Preheat oven to 425° and line your baking sheet with 2 layers of aluminum foil.

2. Stage

Cut lemon: cut ~⅓ of the lemon off in one piece, then cut 4 thin slices from the center (about another ⅓). Reserve all pieces.

3. Stage

Pat outside and inside of trout with paper towel, then rub entire fish with olive oil, and season all over with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on prepared baking sheet and add 3 thyme sprigs, then layer lemon slices and shallot slices on top of thyme, evenly dividing the shallots between the lemon slices. Top with 4 pats of butter and 3 more sprigs of thyme.

4. Stage

Close the fish, then fold up the top sheet of foil to enclose the fish in a packet. Add remaining lemon pieces cut-side down to the baking sheet.

5. Stage

Bake until fish is flaky and tender, 12 to 16 minutes depending on the size of your fish. To test, carefully open foil and check if the fish flakes with a fork.

6. Stage

When fish is ready, use a spatula to carefully transfer fish from foil to a large cutting board. Reserve foil filled with cooking juices and remove charred lemons. 

7. Stage

Add walnuts to baking sheet and toast 4 to 5 minutes, until they are fragrant and have darkened slightly. When toasted, transfer to a clean cutting board and use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to gently crush the walnuts into smaller pieces. (Some irregularity is good for a variety of textures!)

8. Stage

Remove filling from trout, reserving shallots, and use a knife to separate trout fillets from the spine. Transfer fillets to serving plates, then scatter cooked shallots and spoon cooking juices over top. Garnish with more thyme, crushed walnuts, and some more black pepper. Squeeze charred lemons over fish and serve.