Garlic Butter Steelhead Trout

4.70 from 73 votes

Jan 09, 2017, Updated Jul 10, 2023

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From start to finish, garlic butter steelhead trout, cooked in foil is the easiest trout recipe in the world. Baking fish in foil with garlic, butter, and lemon is an easy, winning combo that yields a juicy buttery flavor. While the prep work takes minutes, the cleanup only takes seconds, making this a 25-minute recipe with cleanup included!

Flakey cut piece of steelhead trout cooked in foil with herb butter sauce.

Steelhead trout is very similar to salmon in both flavor and appearance, however, steelhead trout tends to be a little milder. Not to be confused with rainbow trout, which tends to be lighter and color and milder in flavor in my experience.

The cook-in-foil method is incredibly easy because there is very minimal cleanup. I’m talking done-in-25-minutes easy. Because the fish is wrapped in foil, the fish is steamed, retaining the moisture, and rendering juicy and tender meat.

Uncooked steelhead trout covered in herb butter paste.

Looking for similar buttery and delicious recipes? Try my baked Triscuit-crusted cod, easy lemon butter scallops, and my delicious salmon bowls.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
Expert Tips
More Seafood Recipes
Garlic Butter Steelhead Trout

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Steelhead trout filet: look for a full longer portion of trout that hasn’t been cut into individual pieces. You can remove the skin but it’s optional. Once the fish is done cooking, the skin will easily separate from the meat. Salmon or sockeye salmon makes a great substitute.
Butter: butter helps form the paste that coats the whole fish. It adds buttery flavor and texture to every bite. Use salted or unsalted. If using unsalted, you may need an extra pinch of salt on the fish.
Lemon: I like to reserve lemon for just before serving as well. It’s hard to beat a fresh squeeze of lemon on finished fish. For even more flavor, incorporate lemon zest.
Garlic: fresh garlic is a must. Do not substitute with anything pre-minced or garlic powder for best results. A microplane is my favorite way to finely mince fresh garlic into a paste.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.

Expert Tips

There are a few methods when it comes to covering the fish in garlic butter. If you soften the butter into a soft paste, you can evenly spread it on top of the filet. It’s a great way to ensure the fish is entirely covered.
This foil method will work for just about any fish and any topping. I’ve done it with cod, haddock, salmon, and of course, steelhead trout. If your fish is on the larger side, you can crimp together two pieces of foil so you have a larger surface area.

Finished garlic butter steelhead trout topped with a lemon wheel and fresh herbs.

More Seafood Recipes

Cilantro Lime Salmon in Foil Recipe

Sesame Ginger Salmon in Foil Recipe

Grilled Salmon with Basil Butter Recipe

Bourbon Glazed Salmon Recipe

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4.70 from 73 votes

Garlic Butter Steelhead Trout

By: Shawn Williams

Servings:

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Total: 30

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Simple steelhead trout recipe baked in foil with garlic, lemon, butter, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound steelhead trout filet, skin removed optional
▢ 1/3 cup butter, softend/room temp
▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced/grated
▢ small handful fresh parsley, minced
▢ small handful fresh dill, minced
▢ Lemon slices, to top
▢ salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add softened butter to a small bowl. Stir in garlic, parsley, and dill. Mix until fully incorporated.
Roll out a sheet of aluminum foil that is roughly 8 inches longer than the filet. If your filet is larger/wider, you can crimp together two pieces of foil so you have more foil to work with. They also make wider rolls of foil.
Place the trout filet in the center of the foil. Fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Season trout with salt.
Spread herb butter over the trout until evenly coated or top with 3 large dollops. Top with sliced lemon wheels.
Fold the long sides of the foil over the trout, covering completely, and seal it tightly. Fold the ends over and seal into a closed packet. Place on a baking sheet and bake until fully cooked, about 15-18 minutes.
Carefully open the foil packet when ready to serve. Steam will build up and may be hot when opening!

Notes

There are a few methods when it comes to covering the fish in garlic butter. If you soften the butter into a soft paste, you can evenly spread it on top of the filet. It’s a great way to ensure the fish is entirely covered. Melting the butter entirely works, too.

This foil method will work for just about any fish and any topping. I’ve done it with cod, haddock, salmon, and of course trout. If your fish is on the larger side, you can crimp together two pieces of foil so you have a larger surface area.