Baked Trout on a Bed of Potatoes

When I was growing up, I went fishing with my dad quite a bit. We fished from the shore and from boats, and by the end of the season we were all a little tired of fresh fish.

I had forgotten how amazing fresh fish tastes.

Joe went out on a charter boat with some friends last month, and caught the second largest fish in the photo down there. Thankfully, they cleaned the fish there and he brought home lake trout and salmon fillets for us. We made this Northern Italian dish that night.

Fresh fish on a bed of thinly-sliced broiled potatoes sounds simple, and it is. It is right in line with Italian traditions of cooking: use the very freshest, tastiest ingredients, cook them simply and season them judiciously, and let those simple flavors shine.

Along with fresh fish, we had a pound of new red potatoes from my parents' farm. This is a great time of year to pick up new potatoes, and they taste the best they will all year.

Happy Fish Friday!

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb new red or yellow potatoes, thinly sliced (peel if you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (about 2 tsp chopped)
1 lb fresh lake trout or other freshwater fish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Finely chop half of the rosemary, then combine with the chopped parsley, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

Grease a large baking pan. Spread half of the potatoes on the bottom, and drizzle with a third of the oil. Sprinkle with part of the rosemary-garlic mixture. Add a second layer of potatoes, oil, and herb mixture.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the potatoes are nearly tender.

Place the fish fillets on top of the potatoes, then sprinkle with the remaining oil and herb mixture. Place the remaining rosemary sprig on top. (Note: I am a little sensitive to the strength of rosemary, so the sprigs shown on top are fresh thyme).

Bake until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.