Trout fillets are a delicious main dish to serve any time of year. From light and tasty rainbow trout fillets to rich steelhead trout baked in foil and even pan-seared whole fish, delicious trout offers a range of amazing dinner options to serve family and friends.
But what is the perfect side dish to serve with these tasty fish recipes? From root vegetables to rice, grains, fresh salads and colorful sides, we have gathered 31 of the very best side dishes to serve trout in a delicious meal for a special occasion dinner party or a simple weeknight meal with the family.
But first!
More about the health benefits of trout:
This freshwater fish is a great choice for a healthy meal. This mild fish is full of nutrient-dense omega-3 fatty acids and essential nutrients like protein, niacin and B-12.
Trout is a close cousin to salmon, and the two fish are interchangeable in many recipes. Trout usually has a milder flavor than salmon, which can have a richer, fattier flavor and texture than their cousins.
Recipes for Trout:
- 3-ingredient Steelhead Trout
- Shrimp & Crab Stuffed Salmon (Make it with Trout Fillets!)
- Barbecued Salmon Skewers (Make it with Trout!)
31 best side dishes for trout:
Mediterranean Basmati Rice with Lemon & Dill
If you're looking for a show-stopping side to serve with your trout, this Lemon Dill Rice is just the ticket. Light, fluffy and deeply flavorful, this 20-minute rice dish will have everyone going back for seconds.
Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
When you need a fresh and flavorful side for your fish dinner, but you want something more unique and memorable than a simple tossed salad, make this beautiful Asian Cucumber Salad. This simple side dish is one of the most popular items at a Michelin starred dumpling shop for good reason!
Garlic Bread Baguette
This buttery, garlicky, crispy loaf of Garlic Bread includes lemon zest and fresh parsley and chives, making it a really special addition to your fish dinner. Perfect with your family dinner, date night at home, or dinner party with friends. It's the best part of any dinner!
Roasted New Potatoes with Whipped Feta
Perfect roasted yellow new potatoes are the stuff of easy side dish dreams – crispy on the outside, tender inside, then piled high with roasted garlic over a bed of creamy whipped feta. Part fancy potato salad, part roasted greek potatoes, all crazy delicious!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts
Trout's rich flavor is a lovely match for roasted sweet potatoes (or sweet potato fries!). If you're looking for a delicious foundation for your trout fillets, make this roasted sweet potato and brussels dish! This baked veggie dish is also a great meal prep option that you can eat with your leftover trout in a grain bowl for lunches.
French Potatoes Au Gratin
This sophisticated take on a cheesy potato casserole is the best thing you can bring or serve at any seafood dinner! Creamy, tender potatoes swimming in a rich shallot and cheese sauce make these Au Gratin Potatoes a dish that will make everyone go wild. The perfect, rich side dish to serve with your fish-forward menu.
Creamy Parmesan Rice
Like luscious risotto without all the fuss and stirring, this creamy parmesan rice with lemon and parsley is the perfect side to all of your favorite pescatarian main courses. It's a favorite side dish in my house when serving pan-seared trout fillets with lemon butter sauce.
Crispy Grit Cakes
This grit cake recipe is a great accompaniment for your fish dinner! Perfect with a blackened trout fillet topped with creamy cajun sauce, leftover grits never tasted so lovely.
Grilled Asparagus with Eggs and Vinaigrette
Fresh asparagus spears are marinated and grilled (outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat!) then topped with an amazing creamy dressing and grated hard boiled eggs. It will be an amazing side for any trout dish you serve all year long.
French Fries
Pan-seared trout or crispy breaded cod are great pairings for French fries – one of the most popular side dishes for fish. And if you really want to take your trout dinner over the top, go for Parmesan Truffle French Fries, that bring sophisticated flavor to the party.
Gemelli Pasta Salad with Herbs, Walnuts and Feta
Your taste buds will go crazy this Persian-inspired pasta salad, the perfect side dish for your trout recipe. Full of rich feta, fresh herbs, caramelized zucchini and fresh lemon juice, this is one of the most delicious recipes I made this year.
Garlic and Lemon Seasoned Green Beans with Almonds
Green beans are one of my favorite healthy side dish options to serve with fresh or frozen trout. The parmesan cheese adds beautiful umami and the toasted almonds bring a rich, nutty flavor. They are buttery and herbaceous and all the best things you look for in a vegetable dish to go with your healthy seafood dinner.
Lyonnaise Potatoes
The most delicious fried potatoes and onion dish, perfect with a tray of your favorite baked or fried trout. The mild fish flavor will compliment the richly flavored potatoes and buttery herb-sauteed onions. The best flavor in a potato side you can imagine!
Fresh Gazpacho Salad
Cucumber gazpacho salad is a great way to bring the cool, refreshing flavors of the famous Spanish chilled soup, but in a crunchy salad – no blending required! The fresh herbs, sweet bell peppers, fresh tomatoes and crunchy pumpkin seeds all add the perfect balancing flavors and crunch, making it the perfect light side for a healthy trout dinner.
Jerusalem Salad
This simple salad is full of crunchy veggies, but the real stars of the show are the fresh herbs and lime vinaigrette. The herbs act as co-stars, not just the garnish, bringing big flavor to this little bowl. This Jerusalem salad is especially delicious paired up with Middle Eastern Yellow Rice and great served as side dishes for trout.
Roasted Eggplant
A tray of simply seasoned, oven roasted eggplant slices are a great side dish to add rich, earthy tones to a Mediterranean trout meal. If you’re looking for a rockstar vegetarian appetizer to serve before your trout dish, try Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant bruschetta.
Mexican Ceasar Salad
When you want to serve a memorable leafy side dish with your trout dinner, you have to make this Mexican Caesar Salad. It’s rich, spicy and creamy and and makes even the most boring head of greens taste like joy and happiness. Delicious paired with a simple baked and flaked trout fillet, sweet and smoky Mexican shrimp, or baked fish tacos.
Mediterranean Yellow Rice
When trout is on the menu, this amazing fragrant yellow rice is one of the best side dishes to add to your repertoire. The cumin, coriander, turmeric and fresh garlic make a deeply flavorful rice recipe that is ideal with any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean trout dish.
Garlic Brown Rice & Quinoa
This nutrient-dense, garlicky bowl of grains brings amazing flavor with just a few simple ingredients. If you’re looking for a vegan option for your party guests, this garlic brown rice and quinoa dish will be huge hit with friends and family. It's also perfect for meal prep!
Napa Cabbage Slaw
If you’re looking for a coleslaw side for your trout fish fillets meal, this savory napa slaw is a perfect way to add crunchy, flavorful veggies to the table. This savory slaw is a delicious alternative to sweet slaw and it’s especially complimentary to the yellow rice recipe, if that’s on the menu!
Roasted Green Cauliflower
This gorgeous green cauliflower is roasted and topped with olive oil, anchovies, pine nuts and a squeeze of lemon. This veggie dish is the perfect side for so many different trout recipes. Sophisticated enough to be a great choice for a special occasion main dish, this recipe could also be used with roasted broccoli to make the perfect side for trout.
Authetic Mexican Refried Beans
Are trout tacos on the menu this week? If you’re looking for a full menu of sides to compliment your taco Tuesday, look no further than these delicious, creamy Mexican beans. A hearty, savory, satisfying side that’s about as economical as they come! This dish is especially delicious when served with Mexican red rice.
Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo)
Rice is a lot like fish – it’s nutritious and able to take on almost any flavor or twist you throw at it. This Mexican red rice is deeply flavorful and well spiced, the perfect companion for Mexican beans and pickled onions at your next Taco Tuesday Trout party.
Mediterranean Tossed Salad
Any simple green salad will add freshness to a trout main course. But this Tossed Salad adds a little something extra. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for an all-in-one veggie side with leafy greens, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, pickled veggies, garbanzos, parmesan and pumpkin seeds. It’s my everyday salad and a great foundation for any trout you have for leftovers.
Chinese Eggplant in Oyster Sauce
If Asian Trout is on the menu, Chinese eggplant in oyster sauce is the perfect side dish for your dinner. With just a handful of simple ingredients, the humble eggplant is transformed into a sweet, sticky, savory side dish that the whole family will enjoy. Also try it with Asian fish with ginger and soy.
Mashed Potatoes Latkes
All the flavors of traditional potato pancakes, but without the extra time for shredding, soaking, salting and squeezing. Mashed potato latkes can be made with leftover mashed potatoes from last night’s dinner, or ready-made mashed potatoes from the grocery store. They are the perfect side for trout, and delicious dipped in a creamy sauce like spicy aioli or lemon dill sauce.
Lemon Dill Sauce
If traditional tartar sauce seems too boring to serve with your trout fillets, this sour cream sauce with fresh dill may add the perfect note of flavor and richness to your seafood dinner. Herby and garlicky with a touch of lemon juice, this sour cream-based sauce is a great way to compliment your trout.
Spicy Aioli
If you need a new all-time favorite dipping sauce for seafood, try this Spicy aioli sauce. It can be made as spicy or mild as you like, but it always brings delicious flavor and a creamy heat to any trout dinner, lunch, brunch or snack. Crispy breaded trout would be especially delicious with this sauce!
Pineapple BBQ Sauce
Delicious brushed over trout or salmon fillets, this sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce will be the recipe everyone begs you for! It's the perfect sauce, glaze or dip for all your party foods!
Mardi Gras Mustard
Mardi Gras Mustard takes a delicious honey mustard sauce and adds horseradish – one of my favorite flavor enhancers. This is the perfect recipe to serve in place of tartar sauce with your favorite trout dish, or as a spread on your fish sandwich. Make it as spicy or mild as you like!
Mango Habenero Salsa
If you like that sweet-hot combination, than mango habanero salsa will be your new best friend. Habaneros might sound like a too-spicy pepper, but in addition to heat, they add a lot of complex flavor. You can substitute a milder pepper option like a jalapeno or even poblano pepper. This recipe is a great starter or side dish for seafood, or serve it over a grilled trout fillet for a fresh and nutritious main dish!
Ready to Make Your Favorite Side Dishes for Trout?
So have you chosen your favorite sides to serve with your trout dinner? Mix and match from the carbs, greens, veggies and sauces on this list and build the trout menu of your dreams!
Let me know your favorite combination in the comments below.
Leave a Reply