How to Cook Roasted Whole Rainbow Trout

To the dismay of some of my more-refined fishing friends, I’m not above bonking a trout on the head and tossing into a cooler full of ice. A fat, wild rainbow caught from a cold mountain stream just tastes too good not to enjoy every once in a while. This particular recipe comes from celebrated chef John Currence of the [City Grocery Restaurant Group](http://How/ to Cook Roasted Whole Rainbow Trout). Currence is well-known throughout the culinary world for his original City Grocery restaurant in Oxford, Miss. Here’s his simple, seasonal take on the classic technique of pan-roasting a trout whole by starting it in a hot pan that’s transferred to the oven, then moved back to the stovetop for a quick baste in garlic and red-pepper seasoned butter.

Roasted Whole Rainbow Trout

Ingredients:
1 2 ½-3 lb. trout, gutted
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
5 slices lemon
4 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
3 Tbsp. clarified butter
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. cold butter
2 cups pearled barley salad
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Stuff the trout with salt, pepper, lemon slices, thyme, and rosemary, and set aside.
2. Heat the clarified butter until almost smoking in a large sauté pan, and gently place the trout in the pan. Once browned, flip the trout and place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the oven, and place over medium heat. Drop in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme and swirl in the cold butter. The butter will foam. For 1 minute, spoon the butter over the trout, then allow the trout to sit for a moment.
4. Serve the trout over pearled barley salad. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and chopped herbs.