For company
Baked trout with fennel and capers
A French classic and a proper crowd pleaser — whole trout baked over shaved fennel with capers, lemon, white wine and butter.
Simple and delicate, and it makes the whole kitchen smell like a French holiday. Use the freshest trout you can find — South African farmed trout is superb.
Method
- 01
Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Toss the shaved fennel and garlic with the olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and spread over the base of a roasting tray.
- 02
Slash the trout twice on each side. Season inside and out and lay it on the fennel. Tuck lemon slices and herb sprigs into the cavity.
- 03
Scatter the capers over and around the fish, dot with the butter and pour the wine into the tray — not over the fish, or you wash off the seasoning.
- 04
Bake for 20–25 minutes for whole fish (12–14 minutes for fillets), basting once, until the flesh flakes easily at the backbone.
- 05
Squeeze over the remaining lemon, scatter with the fennel fronds and spoon the buttery caper juices from the tray over everything.
- 06
Bring the whole tray to the table and let people help themselves.
Keep cooking
