Barbecued trout, who says you have to have sausages and burgers?

I love my barbecue.

I use it as often as possible.

When buying the latest incumbent of the kitchen door patio I chose a beast of a thing. It has four big burners, two of which are covered by bars and two are covered by cast iron flat top. I can reverse the flat top to give me half and half flat top and ridged griddle. As I said  I LOVE my barbecue. Oh and I have a side burner too.

Having these choices of cooking surface does mean I can expand my horizons when deciding on what to make for tea. Effectively I see my barbecue as an outdoor kitchen, it is just by the utility room door, and in the summer months it it where I do the majority of my cooking. The other day I made a curry, but really fancied using tikka chicken in the sauce. No problem, I marinaded the meat and then cooked it on the BBQ before adding to the sauce I’d made indoors. I have made pizzas on the barbecue, i cook flat breads out there to hold the fillings I’m cooking, I have had a go at making the Sunday lunch by butterflying a leg of lamb, marinading and cooking that low and slow,

I cook, meat, vegetables, breads and even puddings but I’d don’t really cook much fish. Mainly because in my real life I don’t do fish either. I do not particularly like fish. There I said it.  Sustainably caught Tuna steaks  are a regular feature but probably because it has a really meaty texture. My OH loves fish, adores it, chooses it every chance he gets. I am therefore on the horns of a dilemma. How can I solve the “you don’t cook me fish,” question with out the obvious retort, “cook it your bloody self then”! because I know I will have to basically be his commis chef, sous chef and Kitchen porter for the evening and cooking it myself would be quicker.

The problem was solved recently by a friend who fishes. He came to a BBQ we held, where  fed everyone without resorting to burgers and sausages. Tuna featured as did the leg of lamb. Then it happened, OH was offered three trout for our next BBQ. He said yes! I had to overcome my dislike and cook the fish, not only for my OH but also the person who caught them.

I decided to keep the fish whole, use clean fresh flavours and hope to heaven I was able to pull it off.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 trout
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 small bunch dill
• salt and pepper
• Fish cage to hold the fish as you turn it over.

How to …

• Take a deep breath and be brave!
• Light your BBQ.
• Wash the fish well, inside and out.
• Season the fish cavity generously.
• Lay slices of lemon into the fish cavity and top up with several large dill fronds.
• Place into the fish cage.
• Lay on the grill side of the BBQ.
• Grill for about 6 – 8 minutes each side or until the skin comes away cleanly and the flesh is no longer translucent. The skin will crisp up and become almost golden.
• Serve with a big steaming bowl of crushed potatoes, a green salad and a sigh of relief.

I have added this recipe to the August cooking with herbs challenge hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage.

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