One Easy Appalachian Grilled Trout Recipe for the Dinner Table

Whether you're cooking at home or over a fire, this Appalachian grilled trout recipe is right for you. 

This recipe is nostalgic for me. I grew up fishing the streams and creeks of north Georgia and southern North Carolina in the town of Cherokee. We caught fish for the grill almost every night. Whether it was family vacation or just a guys' getaway, one of our go-to meals was this fresh Appalachian grilled trout recipe.

The southern Appalachian region we fished is loaded with both stocked and wild trout. Let me tell you, they both taste great on the grill. Most of the fish we caught were rainbow trout, but occasionally we caught brown and brook trout.

While fish from the Appalachian Mountains aren't normally as big as some of the fish out west, you could catch a trout around 18-20 inches. More than likely, the average trout measures 10-15 inches.

After I catch trout, I'll cut the head off and run my knife down belly to gut the fish. I keep the remainder of the fish intact and place it on the grill whole. On the contrary, if you want to filet the fish, be sure to keep the skin on.

Ingredients

• 2 whole trout or 4 trout fillets
• 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• Aluminum foil

Directions

• Heat your grill to medium heat before placing fish
• Place fish fillets in aluminum foil
• Pour olive oil on aluminum foil
• Lather the inside of fish (and outside if you prefer) with butter
• Place the fish skin side down on aluminum foil to maintain moisture while cooking
• Cook fish until light brown to golden brown
• Cooking time averages 10-15 minutes
• Remove skin from fish
• Sprinkle desired amount of black pepper (lemon pepper if you prefer) and salt on filet
• Squeeze lemon juice onto filet

When finished, I'll take my fork, holding the fish vertical, and run it down the backbone to remove the meat from the bones. I then serve with sliced potatoes, french fries, baked beans and vegetables. These fillets will also cook just as well on a hot skillet or in a deep fryer if you prefer to fry the fish. Just watch out for those little bones!

Like what you see here? Read more hunting articles by Nathan Unger at whitetailguruhunting.com. Nathan is also the host of the Whitetail Guru Hunting Podcast.

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