Trout substitute

Best substitute

Arctic char

Use the same amount by weight as the trout you are replacing

Best for pan-frying

Close match

Arctic char is the closest substitute for trout and goes in 1:1 with no change to the recipe. A small salmon or steelhead fillet also works 1:1 by weight, though both are richer and thicker so they need a few extra minutes. If you want the same small whole-fish experience, branzino or any small sea bass roasts identically, and for cheap pan-frying, catfish or tilapia will stand in with butter and lemon doing the heavy lifting.

Other trout substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Salmon or steelhead trout fillet
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight, add 2 to 4 minutes for a thicker fillet
The reliably stocked option, and richer than what you were making.
What changes
Best for
roasting, pan-searing, grilling, salads, fish for a crowd
Much oilier and stronger tasting, and usually twice as thick, so it needs longer and it dominates delicate seasonings. A trout almondine made with salmon still tastes good but the brown butter and almonds stop being the main event. Cut any added butter slightly to account for the extra fat.
3Branzino or small sea bass, whole
Different texture
Use the same amount by count for whole fish
The right answer when the recipe is about cooking a small whole fish rather than about trout specifically.
What changes
Best for
whole roasted fish, grilling whole, stuffed with lemon and herbs, salt-baked fish
The same size, the same bones and the same cooking method, but leaner and white-fleshed with a cleaner, more marine flavour instead of trout's slight freshwater sweetness. Add a little more oil or butter, since there is less fat in the fish to keep it moist.
4Walleye, perch or sea trout
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Other freshwater and near-shore fish with the same sweet, fine-flaked character.
What changes
Best for
pan-frying, cornmeal-crusted fish, fish fry, baking
Very close in size and texture, slightly firmer and whiter. These are excellent floured and pan-fried and they hold together a little better than trout, which can flake apart when you turn it.
5Catfish or tilapia
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
The inexpensive, always-available stand-in for anything breaded or fried.
What changes
Best for
pan-frying, cornmeal or flour crust, baking, fish tacos, chowder
Softer and blander, with none of trout's nutty sweetness, and tilapia in particular can be watery. Season more heavily than the recipe says, cook it in butter rather than a neutral oil, and finish with plenty of lemon. Fine breaded and fried, weak in a delicate poached or roasted dish.
6Mackerel or sardines
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
The least-best swap, useful only because they are the same size and shape.
What changes
Best for
grilling whole, pan-frying, smoking
These are far oilier and much stronger, so a gentle trout dish becomes a bold oily-fish dish. Do it only if the recipe involves acid or heavy seasoning that can absorb the extra assertiveness, and skip it entirely for cream sauces or subtle herb butters.

What is Trout?

Trout is Trout is a small freshwater fish, most often farmed rainbow trout and sometimes brook or brown trout, sold whole or as thin butterflied fillets with pale pink to ivory flesh that is delicate, faintly nutty and only lightly oily.

Cooking tips

Trout fillets are thin, often less than half an inch, so they need two to three minutes skin side down and barely a minute on the flesh side. Most overcooked trout is overcooked because it was treated like a salmon fillet.
Dry the skin thoroughly and salt it just before it hits the pan. Trout skin crisps beautifully and is the best part of the fish, but only if the surface is dry and the pan is properly hot.
A whole trout, stuffed with lemon slices and a few sprigs of dill or parsley, takes about twenty minutes at 400F. The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest point behind the head pulls away from the bone.
Run your fingers along the centre line of a fillet before cooking to find the pin bones, and pull them out with tweezers. Trout has fine ones and they are easier to remove raw than to pick out at the table.
Wild freshwater trout can taste earthy or muddy depending on the water it came from. Removing the dark lateral line and the skin cuts most of it, and a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar in the pan at the end covers the rest. Farmed rainbow trout rarely has the problem at all.

Frequently asked questions

Is trout the same as salmon?

They are related but not the same. Trout is smaller, leaner, milder and paler, and its fillets are thin enough to cook in a few minutes. Steelhead trout is the confusing middle case: it is a rainbow trout that has lived at sea, so it comes as a big orange fillet that looks and cooks much more like salmon than like the trout at a fish counter.

Can I use salmon instead of trout?

Yes, at the same weight. Watch two things: salmon fillets are usually much thicker, so add several minutes to the cook time, and salmon has more fat and a stronger flavour, so gentle sauces and delicate herbs get overwhelmed. Reduce any butter in the recipe slightly and add a little extra acid.

My recipe calls for trout and my store only has cod. Will that work?

It will work for baking, frying or a chowder, but the character changes. Cod is leaner, flakes into bigger pieces and has no freshwater sweetness, so add butter or olive oil for richness and season a little more confidently. Do not try to pan-sear it for crisp skin the way you would trout.

Can I use frozen trout?

Yes. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then dry it very thoroughly, because trout is thin and frozen fillets release a lot of water that will steam rather than sear. Frozen trout is better suited to baking, poaching and chowders than to crisp-skin pan-frying.

How much trout do I need per person?

One whole trout of around ten to twelve ounces per person, or one butterflied fillet each, which is roughly five to six ounces. If you are substituting salmon, six ounces per person of fillet is the equivalent, and it will feel like more food because it is richer.

Related substitutes

More seafood substitutes

Trout substitute

Other trout substitutes

2Salmon or steelhead trout fillet

3Branzino or small sea bass, whole

4Walleye, perch or sea trout

5Catfish or tilapia

6Mackerel or sardines