Happy (Belated) Father’s Day – Grilled Trout

Having used the grill at every opportunity over the past week, we’ve made a lot of steaks, chicken and shrimp – foods I feel like get the most play time on the grill. And as great as a grilled steak is, sometimes you just need a little diversity. While we were at Safeway debating between beef or chicken and not neither really appealing, I finally turned around and marched into the seafood section and was delighted to find a couple of trout.

Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Granted the fish weren’t the freshest things around and they certainly didn”t look like these fish my dad caught, but they turned out wonderfully. I feel like grilled fish just doesn’t get enough credit even though it’s so quick and simple. Perhaps people are afraid that the fish is too delicate, but as long as you have a clean grill, you shouldn’t have any problems. Just resist the temptation to poke or play with the fish on the grill – hard to do, I know 😛

Looking back at my childhood, some of my most vivid memories of Daddy time were fishing. When we were younger, of course “fishing’ at the duck ponds down the street usually consisted of my Dad casting the fishing pole (perhaps we would put a hand on the pole to think that we were casting), then quickly running off to play in the dirt or to feed the stale bread to the ducks to pass the time until the bright red and white bobber disappeared and he would call out that we had a bite. We’d quickly run over and help reel in the fish, then repeat the process. Sometimes we’d pass the time playing with the minnows in the bucket, hide out in the shade on one of the benches, or mess with the fish that we had already caught. Eventually, as we grew older, we were able to cast our own fishing poles, had developed the patience to cast-reel-cast-reel-cast, and learned to appreciate the peacefulness of waiting for the fish to bite. We mainly caught crappie and catfish at these local duck ponds that were just a fifteen minute walk away, but once a year, we’d drive to another town about 20 minutes away when they stocked a lake with tons of Rainbow Trout and come back having maxed out our fish limit.

Once back at home and after having de-fished ourselves to my non-fish loving Mom’s content, I vividly remember Dad cooking up the rainbow trout with a bit of butter, Tony Chachere’s seasoning, and lemon. Quite effortless, really (once you got past the gutting and cleaning the first part that to this day, I prefer to avoid) and the fish always came out so tender and tasty.

So when it came to grilling the fish, I prepared the fish based on those memories. I mixed some olive oil, Tony Chacher’s and some chopped garlic together and let the fish marinate for a few minutes. Dinner was ready after the trout spent a few short minutes on the grill. It was a delicious meal that could have been better only if I had caught the fish with my Dad (and of course had him clean them for me :P).

Happy (belated) Father’s Day, Dad.

love, ChuThis

Grilled Trout
Serves 2

This is so simple that you don’t even really need a recipe. You could certainly play around and use different combinations of spices to your heart’s content.

2 small trout about 6-8 inches long, cleaned and head removed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Chachere’s)
Olive oil
2 lemon slices

Heat grill to medium high (about 350). Mix garlic, cajun seasoning, and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush generously over fish. Place fish on hot grill. After about 2 minutes, flip fish and cook on other side for another two minutes. Remove from grill and enjoy.