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This recipe for Whole Stuffed Trout is baked in the oven until perfectly tender and flaky. Stuffed with Moroccan chermoula, brown rice, and green olives, it’s packed with citrusy, herby flavor.

A baking dish with two stuffed trout.

If you’ve ever had trout before, you know how mild and buttery this freshwater fish can be. While it has a white flesh, it’s similar to salmon in both flavor and texture.

This makes it an especially great protein to use with a flavorful marinade like chermoula. This marinade is a popular Moroccan recipe made with preserved lemon, fresh herbs and spices, perfect for bring out an amazing flavor in this fish.

Chermoula

If you’ve never tried chermoula before, it’s a super flavorful Moroccan marinade made with preserved lemons, herbs and spices.

You can either make the preserved lemons yourself (they take about a month to preserve), buy them, or substitute them with fresh lemon juice.

Either way, they are a truly magical ingredient when it comes to marinades and adding depth and I highly recommend getting your hands on some before making this recipe.

Step by Step Instructions

A pot of brown rice.
Cook rice according to package directions, taking it off the heat 5 minutes before it’s done and setting aside to cool. Preheat oven to 425.
A pot of seasoned rice.
Butterfly the trout (I ask the people at my local fish shop to do this for me.) Use ¼ of the chermoula marinade to rub all over the fish, inside and out.
A baking dish with two stuffed trout.
Mix the rice with the remaining chermoula and olives. Use the rice mixture to stuff the trout before moving it to a lightly oiled baking dish. Tie with cooking safe twine if needed. 
A baking dish with two stuffed trout.
Bake for 10 minutes before lowering the temperature to 375 and baking for 15 more minutes or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145 (this will depend on the size so use your thermometer).

Tip: if you caught your trout fresh and need tips on how to clean it and fillet it yourself, this video is helpful.

Tips for Cooking Trout

Cooking a new kind of fish for the first time can be intimidating, I totally get it.

But don’t worry, trout is pretty tough to mess up! Here are some tips for success when cooking trout:

  • Trout is a generally thin fish that cooks fast. It should be done in under 30 minutes. This also makes it easy to cook on the grill, in the oven or stovetop.
  • Like most fish, trout can be cut into fillets (these cook extremely quick) or cooked whole as we’re doing today.
  • Stuffing and/or marinade is your best friend when it comes to this fish. The more flavor the better!
A plate of stuffed trout.

Other Stuffing Ideas

Because trout is such a mild flavored fish, the possibilities for stuffing it are essentially endless.

Feel free to take the flavor profiles I’ve created in this recipe and throw them out the window. Have fun with your stuffing and get creative if you’re into that kind of thing!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Garlic Butter Goodness – garlic and butter have never steered us wrong when paired together. I’m thinking this combo with herbs, some rice and maybe even panko??
  • Lemon & more Lemon – this fish really loves the acidity lemon brings to the table. Amp it up to the max with both preserved lemons and fresh lemon slices all over the fish before it goes in the oven. Maybe hit it with some extra paprika and a dash of cayenne to stand up to all the acidity.
  • Raisin & Caramelized Onion – this is a very classic Moroccan pair. The caramelized onions paired with raisins and rice makes a magical sweet and savory flavor profile that would make trout sing!

Happy cooking!

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a plate of stuffed trout

Oven-Baked Stuffed Trout with Chermoula Rice

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Category: entree, main dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Moroccan, American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This recipe for Whole Stuffed Trout is baked in the oven until perfectly tender and flaky. Stuffed with Moroccan chermoula, brown rice, and green olives, it’s packed with citrusy, herby flavor.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 trout (butterflied)
  • 3/4 cup chermoula (see note for substitute)
  • 1 cup brown rice (cooked 5 minutes under package directed time)
  • 1/4 cup green olives, pitted and minced finely

Instructions

  1. Cook rice according to package directions, taking it off the heat 5 minutes before it’s done and setting aside to cool. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Butterfly the trout (I ask the people at my local fish shop to do this for me.) Use ¼ of the chermoula marinade to rub all over the fish, inside and out.
  3. Mix the rice with the remaining chermoula and olives. Use the rice mixture to stuff the trout before moving it to a lightly oiled baking dish. Tie with cooking safe twine if needed. 
  4. Bake for 10 minutes before lowering the temperature to 375 and baking for 15 more minutes or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145 (this will depend on the size so use your thermometer).

Notes

If you don’t have time to make chermoula, substitute with:

  • ½ lemon – preserved or juiced

  • 2 tbsp minced parsley

  • 2 tbsp minced cilantro

  • 4 cloves garlic 

  • 2 tsp salt 

  • 2 tsp pepper

  • 2 tsp smoked paprika 

  • 2 tsp cumin 

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