Parmesan Baked Steelhead Trout Recipe
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Have you ever eaten steelhead trout? I hadn’t until last weekend while picking up a few items at my local warehouse store. I passed by the food samples and noticed what I thought was salmon being offered. It certainly had the appearance of salmon but it turned out to be steelhead trout! This trout was prepared very simply with just olive oil and Parmesan cheese but it absolutely delicious. I decided it would make the perfect Sunday dinner so I grabbed a filet to bring home. I came up with this simple Parmesan Baked Steelhead Trout recipe inspired by the sample and it was a hit!
What is Steelhead Trout?
If you are like me and completely clueless about steelhead trout, I’ll fill you in. Rainbow trout and steelhead trout are really the same fish. The difference is that steelhead trout spend two or three years in the ocean and then typically comes back to fresh water to spawn whereas rainbow trout stays in fresh water their whole lives. And while they may be the same species, I found that steelhead trout tastes much more like salmon than it does rainbow trout.
How to Bake Steelhead Trout
You can cut your steelhead trout filet into individual portions or you can leave it whole with the skin on like I did. I wasn’t sure what my kids would think of this fish and thought it would be easier to take smaller portions off the larger filet to avoid any waste. Serving the whole filet looks pretty on a serving dish but cutting them before cooking makes for a nicer presentation on your plate.
For this steelhead trout recipe I chose to add garlic, lemon juice, parsley and Parmesan cheese because I love these flavors for fish. If you have a favorite salmon recipe you can easily swap out steelhead trout for salmon. You might not even notice the difference.
This steelhead trout recipe was an overall hit with my family. My 10 year old said it was the best fish he ever had and my husband really liked it, even though he normally doesn’t care for baked salmon. My other two boys ate it but said they preferred my pan fried fish. I loved it myself, but I can’t win them all over apparently!
Parmesan Baked Steelhead Trout Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb steelhead trout filet
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon half sliced, half juiced
- 3 tablespoons fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
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Place filet skin side down on baking sheet.
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In small bowl, stir together olive oil, parsley, garlic and juice from 1/2 of the lemon.
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Pour oil mixture over fish gently rub to coat.
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Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.
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Top with Parmesan cheese and sliced lemon.
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Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish is flaky.
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Optional: Broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of cooking to slightly brown filet.
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Serve immediately.
Give This Steelhead Trout Recipe a Try!
You can have this fish dinner on your table in under 20 minutes. Serve them with my ridiculous easy drop biscuits and a fresh salad for an easy weeknight meal. Steelhead trout is loaded with lean protein in addition to vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains a low level of contaminants so it is a dinner you can feel good about feeding it your family.
More Baked Fish Recipes
If you love fish, here are some more great baked fish recipes to add to your upcoming meal plan.
- Sauces are a great way to liven up your salmon. Try this maple glazed salmon with maple syrup and orange juice or this Asian Salmon with honey and soy sauce! Both would make a great weeknight dinner.
- Enjoy a unique spin on salmon with this Coconut Macadamia Crusted Salmon which features a macadamia nut, coconut, and panko topping. This Smoked Walnut Crusted Salmon is another way to included chopped nuts with your fish.
- Want a new cod recipe? The cracker topping on this oven baked cod adds the perfect crunch. The spinach, artichokes and a lemon butter sauce in this Mediterranean Cod recipe sound like a winning combination.
- Love Parmesan cheese on your fish like my steelhead trout recipe? Try this Lemon Baked Cod or this Parmesan Tilapia recipe!
This looks like a great baked fish recipe. I’ll have to give it a try!
This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time! Trout is one fish that we don’t eat very often and I’m always looking for new ways to prepare it! Absolutely love the flavors in this and I know we are going to love it!!
We just had steel head trout a few days ago, except I cooked our on our grill. I love how you cooked yours in the oven, I will try that next time 🙂
I cooked Parmesan Baked Steelhead Trout tonight, and it is a Forever winner!! Thank you, for such a delicious recipe!!
I make steelhead as often as i find it in the market. Love it. I made your recipe last night and rate it as one of my favorites
Thanks for post.
It is best to remove the skin of fish before baking (as the skin can add an unpleasant taste) and is easily done by placing a broiling pan as high in the broiler as you can with the flesh side of the filet down and skin to flame or heat, leave exactly one minute and you will be able to simply lift an edge of the skin and the entire piece will come off easily, without cooking that side of the filet.
I find that the fish comes right off the skin after cooking this recipe and keeps moisture in the meat.
I had never had steelhead trout before and my son brought home a large fillet so I had to find a good recipe – this one is excellent! I have made it several times. The family loves it and I have served it when we have guests over to rave reviews.
This was delicious!! I have tried a view variations of Salmon recipes for my Steelhead Trout which were good but this simple recipe has been the best one yet!! Me and my fiancé both loved it!!
Hi! I made our recipe tonight and we loved it. My husband and 2 teenage sons goggled it up. The sauce alone was AMAZING. Thanks to you I got dinner on the table in 20 minutes. Will def make again.
I got some beautiful steelhead trout filets from our super Walmart. I found this recipe and boy oh boy was it good. Flavorful and moist. Will be making this again real soon.
Wow, what a delicious recipe! Steelhead never tasted so good. I’ve saved this in my recipes. Thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was absolutely delicious?
This is the best recipe I have found for steelhead. It’s just too easy and always turns out great! Thank you for sharing.
So nice to hear that! I’m really glad you enjoy it as much as we do! 🙂