If you like salmon, you are going to love this steelhead trout recipe! Steelhead trout is similar to salmon but better in my opinion. If you are wondering how to cook steelhead trout fillet, it’s super simple. This is one of my all-time favorite steelhead trout recipes.

Whenever I have dinner guests and very little time, I make this steelhead trout recipe because it is quick, easy, and delicious. I have never had a guest that didn’t want to know how to make this recipe, it’s that good!

My first preference for the fish used in this recipe is, of course, steelhead trout. If you do not have steelhead trout available, you can substitute salmon.

I normally eat this meal with roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus. Sometimes I’ll change things up a bit and make mashed potatoes or balsamic brussel sprouts. Additionally, you can add some sliced potatoes at the bottom of the pan for this to be a one-pan dinner.

Ingredients for Roasted Steelhead Trout Recipe

Steelhead trout: The key when cooking fish is to make sure it’s fresh. If you are living in an area that can only get frozen fish, no problem. But if you have a choice between previously frozen and fresh, always go for fresh. Additionally, I choose fish that’s wild-caught instead of farm-raised. That’s a personal choice, however, either type will work just fine. Steelhead trout looks like salmon and tastes very similar to salmon. You can substitute salmon for this recipe if you like.
Onion and Potatoes: This recipe uses a whole large onion. The onion will be sliced and added to the bottom of the baking sheet. You can also add some thinly sliced potatoes as well. You can use brown, sweet, white, or red onions.
Lemons: The thinly sliced lemons are the key to keeping the fish juicy and flavorful. I squeeze lemon juice on top of the fish, then lay thinly sliced lemons across the top of the fish prior to baking.
Salt, pepper, and dried herbs: Add salt and pepper to taste. You can mix any of the following dried herbs as you like for the fish: thyme, rosemary, oregano, and basil. I usually use Italian herb seasoning with some dried garlic granules. Or if I have some fresh herbs on hand, you can use it.

You will also need:

Large baking sheet
Chef’s knife and cutting board
Mortar and pestle
Small pot (to make the garlic lime butter sauce)
Potato peeler (if adding potatoes to the bottom of the pan)

Tips for Baked Steelhead Trout

The main tips for cooking this baked steelhead trout recipe are:

The fish must lay on top of sliced onions and have sliced lemons laid on top. This combination creates the juiciest flavorful cooked fish.
The garlic-lime butter sauce is required. It’s what makes this dish sing actually.
Try to buy the freshest fish possible.
Use parchment paper for a quick cleanup.
Make this meal a one-pan meal by adding some sliced potatoes to the pan. If using potatoes in this recipe, cook the onions and potatoes (without the fish) for about 10 minutes in the oven. The potatoes take a little longer to cook than the fish.

Tips for the Secret Sauce: Garlic Lime Butter

Oh hello, there garlic lime butter sauce! This recipe is meh without the garlic lime butter sauce, so don’t skip it. I’ve made this recipe at least 50 or 60 times (it’s that good), so there are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years for fine-tuning this sauce.

Butter: Use butter! My favorite butter is Kerrygold butter, but use whatever high-quality butter you have available.
Mashed garlic: Garlic takes on a different profile depending on how it’s prepared. If you finely chop the garlic versus mashing the garlic, you will get different results. You can chop the garlic finely for this sauce, however, my preference is to mash it with some salt.
Lime: It might seem weird to use lemons on the fish, and yet use lime for the garlic lime butter sauce. I know! Trust me on this, you CAN use lemon, but the lime is far superior. There’s a reason why guacamole is made with lime instead of lemons. It’s kind of hard to explain. Just do it because I said so (every mother’s favorite default when questioned why).
Timing: First you melt the butter, then you add the mashed garlic mixture waiting until it gets golden brown while continuously stirring, and finally at the very end before taking the sauce off the stovetop, you add the lime juice. So basically, just make sure that the lime juice goes in at the very end.

How Long Does Steelhead Trout Last in the Fridge?

Baked steelhead trout can last for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Fresh steelhead trout fish lasts about 1 day before starting to smell. I always plan on cooking my fresh fish the day I bought it from the store, but that’s personal preference.

I typically don’t eat fish for meal prep meals, because I think seafood has a shorter lifespan in the fridge. But I will definitely eat this fish the following day. I’ve repurposed this fish to sit atop a bed of greens, or to sit alongside a plate of fried rice. Baked steelhead trout is very versatile.

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