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Bacon-Wrapped Butterflied Trout with Lemon-Scallion Relish

Photo: Christina Holmes

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED April 5, 2024

This is a real indulgence: One, bacon; and two, a serving is an entire fish. You can do it. Or just hack the trout crosswise into manageable pieces.

 

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The preserved lemon for the relish can be tricky. You can buy good ones from a Mediterranean market (or make your own), but if you can’t find them you can make a quick ersatz version: Up to a day before serving, chop one whole lemon. Remove any seeds, toss the lemon with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and mash and stir with a fork. Then finish the relish as described in Step 3. Feel free to substitute fresh sardines or other small whole fish here.

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Bacon-Wrapped Butterflied Trout with Lemon-Scallion Relish

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 35 to 45 minutes

Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 8- to 12-ounce trout, cleaned and butterflied
  • 1 tablespoon good-quality olive oil, plus more for brushing
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 good-quality preserved lemon (or see the headnote to use fresh lemons)
  • 2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Start the coals or heat a gas grill for medium direct cooking. Make sure the grates are clean.
  2. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Brush them with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Wrap each fish with 2 slices bacon, covering as much of the body as possible (don’t worry about the head).
  3. Cut the rind of the lemon and chop it (discard the rest of the lemon). Put the lemon rind in a small bowl along with the scallions, mint, and 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. (You can wrap the trout and prepare the relish several hours ahead; cover both and refrigerate until you’re ready to grill.)
  4. Put the fish on the grill directly over the fire, at an angle or perpendicular to the grate. Close the lid and cook until the bacon browns on the bottom, 4 to 6 minutes, moving it or adjusting the heat as necessary to brown without burning. Carefully turn the fish, using a second spatula to lower them back down to the grate. Close the lid and cook until the bacon browns on the other side and a skewer or thin knife inserted at the thickest point easily pierces it all the way through, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve the trout sprinkled with the relish.
— Recipe from How to Grill Everything

Recipe variations

Bacon-Wrapped Salmon Fillet with Lemon-Scallion Relish
These two should get together more often: Substitute four 4- to 6-ounce skin-on salmon fillets for the trout. Depending on the size and shape of the fillets, you may only need 1 slice bacon to wrap each fillet; you want some of the skin showing. Start the fillets skin side down.

Bacon-Wrapped Trout with Scallions
Instead of serving with the relish, grill scallions right along with the fish: Increase the scallions to 8 and trim but do not chop them. In Step 2, put 2 scallions on top of each trout before wrapping it with the bacon. Start the fish scallion side down on the grill.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Trout with Basil-Citrus Gremolata
Prosciutto is absolutely delicious after it’s hit with fire: Substitute 8 thin slices prosciutto (1/4 to 1/3 pound total) for the bacon. In Step 4, instead of the relish, combine 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest in a small bowl to serve with the trout.

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