Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Trout with Rosemary

When life gives you trout, eat it. When your partner gives you trout, clean it, cook it, debone it, then eat it.

My partner loves to go fishing. This is something I’ve never gotten into, but I’m sure my lack of effort involved at trying this “sport” has something to do with that. During the last week he went fishing twice, and both times caught some beautiful rainbow trout. Okay, so the first time he went with a couple friends, caught two, one got away, and one of the friends gave him an extra because he caught five. But the second time he caught three all on his own.

Here’s the thing, I don’t know too much about fish except when I buy it in the store it usually no longer has any resemblance of a fish except for its delicate flesh. Well, I usually buy salmon by the half so it still has the body of a fish look, but alas no bones, head or tail. I’m sure if I tried to debone and clean out a fish I’d mangle it unrecognizable and end up with a mash not even good enough to make fish sticks out of. Okay, that might be an exaggeration… but not much of one. So what is one to do with such inadequacies? Let your partner do the cooking.

Since we had grilled trout Thursday by wrapping it in foil with a little butter and fresh stuffing made of croutons, onions, garlic and mushrooms, we decided to have bacon-wrapped last night from the catch he got the day before. If there is one thing I know for certain about our oven is that bacon + broiler = smoke… a lot of smoke. Our little 50s exhaust fan can’t handle more than what would escape a pot of gently simmering water with every window and door open to allow plenty of airflow, so I said he should grill them instead and avoid being asphyxiated or alarm the neighbors into thinking our house is on fire and have them bring out lawn furniture and popcorn to watch the show in our front yard.

I was planning on making a salad and rice pilaf and was going outside to cut some fresh herbs and my partner suggested we stuff the fish with rosemary sprigs so I cut three extras of those before also getting some sage, parsley, thyme and oregano for the rice. The fish was simply prepared, since he cleaned them as soon as he got home from fishing, and was minimally seasoned with salt and pepper, stuffed a sprig of rosemary inside, and wrapped each trout with a couple slices of bacon. One thing I would suggest would be to go ahead and use toothpicks to keep the bacon firmly attached to the fish and avoid pain and frustration. I didn’t think it was necessary and I was wrong and we lost a fish in the process but our dog was able to reap the rewards of unruly bacon and slippery fish that escaped the confines of the grill in an attempt to flip. I think this would also be a good time to invest in a good fish turner or better yet one of those cage thingies that completely contain the fish and make for a much cleaner and less agitating grilling session.

But even with all of the mishaps, the fish was delicious and is much easier to debone after cooked, but like any fish you should take small bites and chew slowly as stray bones could be lurking about anywhere. Of course, what isn’t better when it is stuffed with rosemary and wrapped in bacon?

Bacon-Wrapped Trout with Rosemary

2 – 4 trouts (about 1 pound each) cleaned and beheaded.
2 – 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 – 8 slices bacon
salt and pepper

Get your grill ready at about medium-high and make sure it is clean and spray it with a nonstick grilling spray too. If you have mad skills and can debone a fish without destroying it before it is cooked and prefer to do it that way, go ahead. Otherwise season the inside with salt and pepper and place a sprig of rosemary in the center. Using one to two slices per trout, wrap the bacon around the fish and use toothpicks to keep in place. Place the fish on the grill, close the lid and leave it in place for about 3 – 4 minutes before moving. Flip and keep moving and flipping until the bacon is done, which means the fish should be done as well. If you see any blood coming out of the fish, continue to cook in a cooler part of the grill until it is completely cooked and will help to avoid burning the bacon. This process should take 12 – 15 minutes total and should be eaten immediately.

If you prefer to broil in your oven, simply place the bacon wrapped fish under the broiler for 7 minutes, flip, and let it cook on the reverse side for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove promptly and enjoy.