There is something special about the taste of fresh mountain trout cooked whole with a little lemon & herbs. Worth the try!

1 whole mountain trout (approx. 900 gms)

1 medium sized lemon, cut in thick slices

10-12 fresh basil leaves

olive oil

50 gms butter – cut into 2-3 pieces

salt and freshly ground pepper

Putting it together

This dish takes about 30 mins to put together. Remember to ask the fishmonger to clean the fish for you. Heat the oven to 185C.

Wash the fish and pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Salt the inside of the fish and then arrange the slices of lemon in a row. Top the lemon with the basil leaves and the butter sticks.

Drizzle the fish with olive oil and sprinkle over a little salt and some fresh ground pepper.

Line a baking pan with baking paper and drizzle some olive oil over the middle where the fish will be placed.

Place the fish in the pan, drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in the oven for 20 mins. If the fish is bigger, you may need a few more minutes.

Check that the skin comes away from the fish easily. The fish is ready to serve with a fresh green salad and some fried or baked potatoes. The baked lemon creates a wonderful lemony juice to go with the fish.