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Armenian

Ishkhan-style baked trout

Non-vegetarian

Իշխան · Ishkhan

Whole trout stuffed with tarragon and lemon, roasted with butter until the skin crisps, and served with pomegranate seeds. Made in the spirit of Armenia's prized Lake Sevan ishkhan, using farmed rainbow trout.

Ishkhan-style baked trout is an Armenian main course, ready in about 32 minutes and made with trout and tarragon (fresh). It serves 2 and is rated easy to cook.

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Freshly baked trout in an aluminum tray garnished with lemon, herbs, and spices.
Photo: Sylwester Ficek / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
22 min
Total
32 min
Serves
2
Level
Easy
Calories
377

Ingredients

2 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C. Pat the trout (opens in a new tab) dry inside and out, slash the skin twice on each side and season all over with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    Food safety: Keep raw fish chilled until cooking and wash hands afterwards.

  2. Step 2

    Fill the cavities with tarragon (opens in a new tab) sprigs and lemon (opens in a new tab) slices. Lay on an oiled tray and brush with melted butter (opens in a new tab).

  3. Step 3

    Roast until the flesh flakes easily from the bone at the thickest part, 18–22 minutes.

    • 22 min
    • 220°C

    Food safety: Fish is cooked when it is opaque and reaches 63 °C.

  4. Step 4

    Scatter with pomegranate seeds (opens in a new tab) and cilantro (opens in a new tab) and serve at once.

    • 1 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Lake Sevan, Armenia · Commonly attributedIshkhan (Sevan trout) is endangered; rainbow trout is what most Armenian kitchens and restaurants use today.More food from Armenia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Roasted
Taste
fresh, herby, citrusy, buttery
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pan · Minimal cleanup
Cook more with
Tarragon (fresh) · Lemon · Butter
Techniques
Roasting

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Fishfrom trout

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

377 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 248 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 39%
  • Carbohydrate 5%
  • Fat 56%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy377 kcal152 kcal
Protein36.8 g14.8 g
Carbohydrate4.6 g1.8 g
Net carbohydrate3.1 g1.2 g
Sugars1.1 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.5 g0.6 g
Fat23.5 g9.5 g
Saturated fat10.2 g4.1 g
Trans fat0.6 g0.2 g
Cholesterol138 mg56 mg
Sodium1064 mg429 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
771 mg
Calcium
76 mg
Iron
1.1 mg
Magnesium
55 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
274 µg
Vitamin C
29 mg
Vitamin D
28.6 µg
Vitamin B12
7.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
30 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: pomegranate, coriander leaves.
  • Tarragon (fresh): USDA SR Legacy has only dried tarragon; fresh basil is used as a nutritionally similar fresh-herb stand-in.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Trout is also excellent grilled over charcoal on a skewer or in a fish basket, as at Sevan.

Common mistakes

  • Not drying the fish well — wet skin steams instead of crisping.

Serve with

  • Serve with lavash, herbs and a tomato-cucumber salad.

Food safety

  • Cook fish to 63 °C, when the flesh is opaque and lifts easily from the bone; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Best eaten fresh; keeps 1 day in the fridge.

Variations

  • Ishkhan khorovats: Trout grilled whole over charcoal and served with lavash and tarragon.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Trout, whole, gutted and scaled2 piece · 360 g
  • Lemon, sliced1 piece · 85 g
  • Butter, melted30 g
  • Pomegranate, seeds only (optional)0.5 piece · 140 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 4

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