Bacon-Wrapped Rainbow Trout recipe

When most people start out fishing, it’s rainbow trout they’re after. In fact, rainbow trout are the most widely cultivated trout species in the world. Known for their beautiful coloring and environmental adaptability, rainbows are fun to catch and easy to find. Depending on where you live, annual state stocking schedules can tell you where most of these fish can be found. That means all it usually takes is a trip to your locally stocked pond or river for you to hook up with a tasty trout dinner. These fish make for excellent table fare, with a tender and flaky texture that will have you headed back to catch more if you cook it just right.

For the record, there are a number of ways to cook trout, and there are many different types of trout to cook. While this recipe is intended for rainbow trout, it will work just fine on any trout. This longstanding family recipe is also a particularly great one for first-time trout eaters or folks who have had less-than great experiences eating trout in the past. That’s because if you cook trout this way, it will be undisputedly delicious.

Ingredients:

Trout

Bottle of red wine

Maple syrup or brown sugar

Bacon

Red potatoes

Soy Sauce

Salt and pepper

Aluminum foil

Large bowl

Casserole dish

Toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut one sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil that is larger than your fish.

2. Using a sharp knife, remove the head and tail from your trout. Then, slice the belly open and carefully part the meat to expose as much flesh as possible without tearing your trout in two. If you haven’t done so already when you cleaned your fish, this would be a good time to scrape the kidney out using your fingers or a spoon before giving your fish a thorough rinsing from the inside out. (NOTE: the trout’s kidney is dark colored and will span most of the backbone).
   

3. Pour a healthy amount of red wine and soy sauce into the large bowl. Add a shot-glass worth of maple syrup or a tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir the mixture briefly. Then, place the trout into the liquid and ensure that the fish are completely submerged. Depending on how heavily flavored you want the fish to be, you can choose to leave them in this mixture for thirty minutes, or even overnight.

4. Dice your potatoes. Place them in the bowl, season with salt and pepper.

5. Remove trout from the marinade. Stuff trout bodies with diced potatoes. Pin bodies of trout closed, to keep your potatoes tucked within the trout body.

6. Line the bottom of your casserole dish with aluminum foil and place your trout in the casserole dish.
   

7. Put casserole dish in the oven for 15 minutes, at 400 degrees.
   

8. Remove dish and carefully wrap each trout with bacon.
   

9. Place dish with bacon-wrapped trout back in the oven and set oven on broil for 10 more minutes.
   

10. ENJOY!

(Note: Depending on the cut of your bacon, as well as your oven, it may be prudent to lightly cook the bacon ahead of time in a separate pan before wrapping the trout).