Start by opening up the fish. A cleaned rainbow trout has no skeleton running down the center, so you really are just working with two lovely filets. Season it liberally with salt and pepper, then tuck in some parsley and a few lemon slices and fold it back over. Wrap the whole fish in foil and bake it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

When you take it out of the oven, simply cut off the tail and head (there are actually some nice morsels of fish in the collar or neck area of the fish that make great nibbles when you’re preparing the servings). Discard the herbs and lemons, and use a thin fish spatula to gently lift the filet from one side of the skin. (Cooking it in the skin helps keep it moist and flavorful, but it will be slimy and you won’t want to eat it.) If you want, garnish it with a lemon slice and some chopped parsley. Toasted rice with onions and cranberries goes great with this simple fish!