A plancha trout fillet is one of those very simple dishes that always makes me happy. The skin turns really crispy on the hot griddle, the flesh stays moist and tender, and a little lemon and parsley butter is all it needs.
I had one in July 2026 at the Brasserie Chez Élise in Lutzelbourg, a pretty village in Moselle where I love to go for walks. It made me want to cook it again at home, using the classic method you find all over eastern France.
Trout is an affordable freshwater fish that is easy to find as fillets at the fishmonger. The secret is a very hot plancha, very dry skin and, above all, not touching the fish while it cooks. With a few baby potatoes, it is a full meal in under 40 minutes.
The recipe
Classic recipeThe traditional recipe for the dish, not the one from the restaurant where I tasted it.
Ingredients
Trout
- 4 skin-on trout fillets (about 150 g each)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Flaky sea salt and pepper
Lemon butter
- 50 g butter
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
To serve
- 600 g baby potatoes
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Method
- Wash the baby potatoes and cook them for 20 minutes in a pan of salted water, starting from cold, until a knife slides in easily. Drain and keep warm.
- Run your finger over the flesh of the trout fillets to find any pin bones and pull them out with tweezers. Pat both sides dry, especially the skin, with kitchen paper.
- Heat the plancha over high heat (about 250 °C) for around 10 minutes. Brush the skin of the fillets with olive oil and salt it lightly.
- Lay the fillets skin side down on the plancha, pressing for 10 seconds with a spatula so they do not curl. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving them: the flesh turns opaque almost all the way to the top.
- Turn the fillets over and leave them for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the flesh side, just to finish cooking. Remove at once and keep them skin side up so it stays crispy.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and parsley, then season with salt and pepper.
- Plate the fillets with the potatoes, spoon the lemon butter over the fish and potatoes, add a pinch of flaky salt and serve with the lemon wedges.
Tips and variations
- No plancha? A large, very hot cast iron or stainless steel frying pan gives the same result.
- For some crunch, toast 30 g flaked almonds in the butter before adding the lemon.
- Sea trout or salmon trout is cooked exactly the same way, just allow 1 extra minute if the fillets are thick.
- Trout is best eaten straight away. Leftovers keep for 1 day in the fridge and are nice cold, flaked into a salad.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.