Summer has finally arrived in Seattle and the hot weather is making me choose lighter meals. That mostly means salads, fruits and lots of seafood. During the summer months, cooking seafood is the only way I can mentally teleport myself to the blue waters of the Mediterranean coast. This baked rainbow trout recipe is super easy and quick which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner. The onion salad is a perfect complement to the taste of the fish and all the sumac makes it extremely refreshing. Being one of my favorite spices (guess which one is the other favorite), sumac adds a tangy taste that balances the spicy sweetness of red onions.

In Turkish there is a saying (we have a ton of sayings!) we use when we want to say we love seafood. The saying is “I will eat whatever that comes out of the sea, even if it is my dad.” I know it sounds weird but it is also genius. It is the only way I know how to express my love of seafood.

I love cooking and eating whole fish so much so that I once made a three part video teaching my closest friend how to cook a whole fish. I know that some people don’t like to see a whole fish on their plate “staring” back at them or they don’t want to deal with the bones. I believe that cooking whole fish just gives more flavorful results. If it is the bones you worry about, this recipe makes the meat so moist that it falls off the bone. Cooking whole fish is also less wasteful. When you buy whole fish at the market and ask them to fillet it, you are still paying for the weight of the whole fish but not getting the good bits. You can always turn the head, tail and the bones into a yummy fish stock.

As much as possible, I try to buy fresh fish that is in season. I generally pick smaller fish like trout because they are easier to portion, easier to cook and they have a stronger fishy flavor that I love. Trout also has very high content of omega-3 fatty acids so all good things. When I buy fish, I always ask them to leave the fish whole but clean it and scale it. Scaling is the messiest thing ever and you should get it done at the market if they offer to do so.

What is your favorite seafood and how do you cook it, let me know in the comments below!

A hot tip: After eating fish and onion salad, the best way to top it off is with a small bite of halva. It cleans your palate and you will end your meal on a sweet note.

Yields: 3 servings Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

For the baked rainbow trout:

3 whole rainbow trouts

1 lemon, sliced

6-8 sprigs of parsley

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Olive oil to drizzle

For the onion salad:

1 red onion

1 tablespoon white vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 teaspoons of sumac

Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preparation

For the baked rainbow trout:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and drizzle with some olive oil.

3. Place the fish on the baking tray. Rub the fish with sea salt inside and out.

4. Place 2-3 parsley sprigs and a couple slices of lemon inside each fish. Drizzle the tops of fish with olive oil.

5. Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. If you want the fish to have crispier skin, you can move the baking tray up a level, turn on the broiler at 400 F and broil for 5 additional minutes.

For the onion salad:

1. Cut the onion in half and slice the red onion in half moons.

2. Add the sliced onion in a large bowl filled with water. Let sit for 5-10 mins and drain. This helps remove the bitter, spicy taste of the onion. Feel free to skip this step if you like the strong taste of onions.

3. Add in the vinegar and the sumac. Stir until the layers of onion are separated and sumac is all over the salad.

4. Serve on the side with the rainbow trout