Broiled Sesame Trout

Six whole rainbow trout, scored, soaked in lemon juice, and broiled with a toasted sesame seed butter baste. This is streamlined fish cooking at its best: a short ingredient list, a simple technique, and a result that tastes like something from a lakeside restaurant.

Scoring three shallow slashes on each side of the fish does two things. It lets the lemon marinade penetrate deeper during the 3-hour soak, and it helps the sesame butter baste seep into the flesh during broiling instead of just sitting on the skin.

Toasting the sesame seeds before melting the butter into them is the step that makes the baste special. Raw sesame seeds taste like almost nothing. Toasted ones are deeply nutty and aromatic, and that flavor gets carried into every baste.

Chef Tips

• Score lightly. You want to cut through the skin and just into the flesh, not all the way to the bone.
• Marinate for at least 3 hours. The lemon juice firms up the trout’s delicate flesh slightly, making it easier to handle under the broiler.
• Baste frequently during broiling. Each coat builds another layer of toasted sesame butter and keeps the fish from drying out.
• Use two wide spatulas when transferring the cooked fish to the platter. Whole trout are fragile and will break apart with a single spatula.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of ginger to the sesame butter for an Asian-inspired baste.
• Swap rainbow trout for brook trout or arctic char.
• Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and chopped fresh herbs like dill or chives.