Stuffed Trout Recipe with Chermoula

This stuffed trout recipe is a great way to incorporate more fish into your life and is packed with flavor from mediterranean herbs, spices and citrus.

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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. The preserved lemon (bonus if you make them from scratch), fresh herbs and spices bring out an amazing flavor in this fish.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this whole stuffed trout recipe:

• trout (butterflied)
• chermoula (see note for substitute)
• brown rice (cooked 5 minutes under package directed time) 
• green olives, pitted and minced finely

See recipe card for exact quantities.

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.

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!

Step by Step Instructions

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).

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

Substitutions & Variations

Like most recipes, there are many ingredients that can be substituted or replaced in this trout recipe.

Here are my favorites:

• Capers - if you don't have or like green olives, capers are an excellent substitute to add brine-y flavor.
• Chermoula Substitute - this Moroccan marinade is super easy to make, but if you find yourself in a time crunch, just mince up the ingredients and use them as is, skipping the food processor step (see note in recipe card for details).
• Salmon for Trout - trout is usually an accessible fish, but if you have trouble finding it, this recipe and marinade goes great with salmon too.

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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