Recipe for: Grilled trout with dill butter and grilled lemon - photo 1
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Recipe for: Grilled trout with dill butter and grilled lemon

Spicy European cuisine Grilling 50 min Medium 0 views ~58.83 PLN - (0)
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Description

Delicate grilled trout in traditional Greater Polish style — lightly smoked campfire aroma combined with creamy dill butter and sweet-sour grilled lemon. This summer dish takes advantage of fresh herbs and simple, local ingredients; the dill butter seeps into the roasted meat, enhancing the fish's natural sweetness. The dish works perfectly as a centerpiece during a garden barbecue, served with young potatoes boiled in their skins or a light salad of seasonal vegetables. Visually — the golden skin of the trout, the green of the dill, and the drizzled butter create a classic, rustic appearance, ideal for summer family gatherings.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (9)

Servings:
4
  • Trout 1200 g
  • Butter 120 g
  • Garlic 2 clove (~10 g)
  • Lemon 2.5 pcs (~200 g)
  • Rapeseed oil 30 g
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Dill 1.5 bunch (~30 g)
  • Salt 8 g
  • Black pepper 4 pinch (~2 g)
  • ✨ Optional
  • Parsley 30 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~58.83 PLN (14.71 PLN/serving)

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Preparing the fish

1

Check if the trout are gutted and cleaned. If you bought unscaled fish, remove the scales: place the fish on a board, hold it by the head, and using a hard spoon or knife, scrape off the scales against their direction (from tail to head). Then, if necessary, cut open the belly and rinse the inside and outside thoroughly under cool running water. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Ingredients: Trout
Use a cutting board with a groove for juices and protective gloves if you have them. If the fish has already been gutted, just rinse and dry it. Drying the skin is key for it to brown on the grill.
2

Rub the inside and outside of the trout with salt and pepper: use 2 g of black pepper and divide the remaining salt so that each fish receives about 2 g of salt (a total of 8 g). Gently score the skin with diagonal cuts every 2–3 cm on the outside — the cuts will prevent the skin from wrinkling while grilling and allow the dill butter to penetrate better.

Ingredients: Trout, Salt, Black pepper
Use a sharp knife for the cuts — do not cut too deeply to avoid cutting through the meat. The cuts should be shallow (about 2–3 mm).

Dill Butter

3

Prepare the dill butter: take the butter out of the fridge for 10–15 minutes to soften slightly. In a small bowl, place the butter, add finely chopped dill (the whole bunch), garlic pressed through a garlic press (10 g — 2 cloves), grated zest from 1 lemon (only the yellow part), and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until the ingredients combine into a smooth mixture. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Ingredients: Butter, Dill, Garlic, Lemon
Use a small bowl and a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. If the butter is too hard, grate it on a coarse grater, then it will combine more easily with the herbs. Do not use a metal grater for the butter if you want to maintain the texture.
4

Shape the butter into a log or place it in a small bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes (you can put it in the freezer for 5 minutes if you're in a hurry) to firm it up slightly and make it easier to spread after grilling the fish.

Ingredients: Butter
Use plastic wrap to conveniently shape a log of butter. The butter should not be completely hard — it should have a consistency that quickly melts upon contact with hot fish.

Preparing the grill and lemons

5

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (grate about 200–230°C). Clean the grate with a grill brush, then brush it with canola oil using a brush or a damp piece of paper towel on tongs (use 30 g of canola oil). Cut the lemon in half and brush the flesh lightly with oil — this will prevent sticking and allow the flesh to caramelize nicely.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, Lemon
Use kitchen gloves and tongs to grease the grill. A well-heated and lightly oiled grill will prevent the trout skin from sticking.

Grilling

6

Place the trout on the hot grill. If you have a fish grilling basket, use it — it makes flipping easier; otherwise, place the fish directly on the grill. Grill for about 6–8 minutes on the first side: the skin should become golden and slightly crispy. Do not move the fish for the first 4–5 minutes to allow the skin to brown and not stick to the grill. Carefully flip the fish with a spatula or tongs and finish grilling for another 4–6 minutes, until the meat easily flakes away from the backbone.

Ingredients: Trout
The best option is a wide fish spatula or a grilling basket. If you don't have a thermometer, check the tenderness: gently press on the back — the meat should become opaque and easily flake apart with a fork. Avoid too high heat, as the skin may burn before the meat is cooked through.
7

In the meantime, place the lemon halves cut side down on the grill next to the fish and grill for 2–3 minutes until the skin is browned and darker spots appear. The lemons will soften and take on a sweet-caramel aroma.

Ingredients: Lemon
Watch the lemons — they caramelize quickly. If the grill is very hot, just 1–2 minutes is enough.

Finishing

8

After removing the trout from the grill, immediately place a spoonful of dill butter (about 30 g of butter per fish) on each piece. The butter will melt from the heat and seep into the slits and inside the fish. Serve each fish with a grilled half lemon and optionally sprinkled with fresh, finely chopped parsley.

Ingredients: Butter, Parsley, Lemon
Use a spoon to scoop the butter or a thin knife to spread it. The butter should melt and coat the meat; if it is too hard, cut thin slices and place them on the fish.

Serving

9

Serve the trout immediately, preferably on a warmed plate. Young potatoes in their skins, a seasonal salad of cucumber and radish, or a slice of fresh bread pair well with the fish. Provide each guest with an additional wedge of lemon to squeeze.

Ingredients: Trout, Lemon, Parsley
Use wide plates to aesthetically arrange the fish and sides. Serve a spoon for the butter if you want guests to season their portion themselves.

Fun Fact

💡

In Greater Poland, freshwater fish, such as trout, were traditionally served at both simple village gatherings and festive tables; the combination with butter and dill is a classic that highlights the delicacy of the meat.

Best for

summer barbecue gathering rodzinny obiad w ogrodzie świętowanie świeżych składników sezonowych

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve immediately after adding the butter so that it melts on the hot fish. For a nicer effect, garnish the plate with a few sprigs of fresh dill and thin slices of lemon. If serving with potatoes, drizzle them with a bit of melted butter from the leftover fat after frying the fish.

🥡 Storage

Best consumed immediately. Store cooked trout in the refrigerator (up to 24 hours) in an airtight container. To reheat, use an oven preheated to 150°C for 8–10 minutes or a covered pan on low heat to avoid drying out the meat. Re-grilling over high heat is not recommended.

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