Stop asking 'what's for dinner.' 
Baked Rainbow Trout Fillet with Bulgur Salad
This recipe features baked rainbow trout that gets rubbed with a warm blend of paprika, turmeric and curry powder, then baked until flaky and flavourful (which is just under 20 minutes). The spices are what I grew up loving on fish, and the depth they add balances the bright fine bulgur salad that I serve it with. The salad is loaded with basil and tomatoes (because I often have a lot of it fresh in the summer), along with olives and green onions. Easy to swap in what you’ve got on hand. This dish feels fancy but takes all of 30 minutes. Here’s how to make it!
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I often bake fish with a simple sprinkling of salt and pepper (because fish flavour is delicate and I like to actually taste it). But sometimes, I like to throw on my favorite spice mix: curry powder, turmeric, paprika and salt. These are the types of flavours I grew up on in Iraq, that we often used on fish.
The spices get mixed together with olive oil to create a smooth paste, then you slather it on the rainbow trout fillet and bake it for 15 minutes at 400F. Done.
If I’m eating fish in the summer, it’s almost always paired with a bright and herby salad like this bulgur salad (and if its during cooler months, I make this sheet pan rainbow trout with potato wedges). I chose fine bulgur because it “cooks” in 10 minutes just by soaking it in some water. So no cooking! You can also use couscous for this recipe and it’ll work perfectly – see my notes in the recipe for the right water ratio.
Load up the salad with your favourite fresh vegetables, but I often use fresh tomato and basil from the garden, along with olives and green onions. The dressing is a simple lemon juice, olive oil, and balsamic glaze concoction. Pomegranate molasses subs in for the balsamic glaze quite easily if I don’t have it.
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Baked Rainbow Trout Fillet with Bulgur Salad
Ingredients
For the Fish:
- 400 grams rainbow trout fillet, 1 fillet
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, optional
For the Bulgur Salad:
- 1 cup fine bulgur, replace with couscous if unavailable – see notes
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh Basil, packed
- 1.5 cups quartered cherry tomatoes, or replace with regular tomatoes
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 3 green onions
For the Salad Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Start by pre-heating your oven to 450F
- Wash and thoroughly dry the rainbow trout fillet using paper towels and place on a non-stick baking sheet (or use parchment paper)
- Mix the spices for the fish with the olive oil to create a paste. Brush onto the whole fish evenly and bake in the oven for 15 minutes on the middle rack
- For the salad, start by washing the fine bulgur and draining really well. Then soak in the 3/4 cups of water (from the tap) and leave it for 10 minutes
- Finely chop the basil and green onions, and cut the cherry tomato in quarters. Drain the black olives
- Mix the dressing ingredients together well, then combine with the bulgur and the vegetables and mix well
- When the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and serve with the bulgur salad on the side
Love the sound of this using couscous:) But sadly we don’t like olives 🙁 – what can I use in place of them, any suggestions please?
You can skip them all together or use capers or sundried tomatoes instead 🙂