Lemon & Thyme oven roasted Trout

Last night for Fred's 42nd birthday, I decided to try this recipe for trout based on Jamie Oliver's Lemon & Herb Roasted trout recipe from spreadmybutter.com.
End result - we are going to be having a lot more trout from now on!!!!!



INGREDIENTS:

1 whole rainbow trout, scaled and gutted
few sprigs of thyme
sea salt & black pepper
3 tbsps lemon infused olive oil
1 lemon
4 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Give the trout a good rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the thyme leaves with 1 tsp sea salt, crushed garlic, black pepper and the olive oil until it becomes a fragrant paste. Rub this mixture all over the trout, covering the skin and inside the belly. Cut lemons in half and remove the ends so they have a flat edge. With the point of a knife, make an incision into the flesh of each lemon half and stick a bay leaf into it. Place trout and lemons on a roasting tray and bake, approximately 20 minutes. The trout is cooked properly when the meat is easily pulled away from the bone at the thickest part of the fish. The skin should be crispy and the roasted lemons should take on a marmalade characteristic.

Serve the trout with the lemon, which you can squeeze on to the fish. The flesh should flake away easily but remain pink and moist. I served my fish with some roasted potatoes, courgettes and a fresh watercress salad, but it’s really up to personal tastes. You can fillet it restaurant style at the table, or go rustic and combine the flesh with the salad.