Lately, the least expensive item (by far) behind the seafood counter at our supermarket is whole trout. A couple of good-sized ones may go for under $10. You can do worse than roast them in the oven stuffed with thyme, as Jamie Oliver suggests. Admittedly, this is not something to serve at a formal dinner party -- unless you are a sushi chef, dismembering a fish elegantly is next to impossible -- but rather something to indulge your close circle of fish lovers with, as you crowd around an empty bowl for the bones.Preheat the oven to 475°F / 250°C. Wash the trout, pat dry, and rub the mixture of thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil into the skin and inside the belly. Make incisions into two or four lemon halves and insert bay leaves into the slits. Place the fish and the lemons into your baking dish. (On the picture in the book the trout is shown stuffed with full sprigs of thyme, surrounded by garlic cloves.) After 10 minutes the skin should be crispy and the meat should pull away from the bone easily. Serve with the lemon, which can be squeezed on the fish, and possibly some pan-fried potatoes and a green salad.
- 2-4 1-lb / 0.5-kg trout, scaled and gutted
- fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lemons
- 4 bay leaves