Baking Steelhead

I used this method twice now on that 32" lovely lady I caught.  It's VERY simple and had great results. 

You'll need:

Foil
Pyrex dish
Salmon Seasoning
Lemon Pepper
Fresh ground pepper
Olive Oil (I prefer extra light/virgin)
and Fillet(s) of Steelhead of course!

Preheat the Oven to 450 then:

Cut off a piece of foil large enough to fold around your fillet(s) and completely cover them.  Spread it on a flat surface and pour some Olive oil on it. (enough to coat both sides of the fillets)

Coat both sides of the fillets, then add a healthy amount of Salmon seasoning, light coating of lemon pepper, and light coating of fresh ground pepper to both sides.

Wrap up in the aluminum foil and place in the pyrex dish. (this keeps it from getting too hot too fast)

Bake for 20 minutes.

I've done this twice this week, and the results are amazing.  Very firm, very tasty fish - absolutely no 'fishy' taste.  Best damned fish I've ever eaten.  It's also an extremely healthy way to cook it.

Scallop potatoes, brown rice, fresh green beans (steamed) have all been good companions to the meat as well.

another old school variation is to skip the olive oil and instead use mayo.  You can flavor the mayo with herbs (fresh or dried), spices, various ethnic sauces etc (hosin,chile,BBQ,Miso,raspberry jam ).  I would drop the oven temp a little, if using mayo or sauces with high sugar levels, to prevent burning.  Another good addition to these types of recipes is a little liquid smoke.

Next to ocean caught coho, steelhead is my favorite "salmon" to eat

I second the mayo on winter fish!  Mmmm Mmmmm Good.

Another variation would be to mix up some Uncle Dan's ranch dip, lay on some slices of onion and coat with with dip before baking.  Like Pelagic said, lower the temp a bit for these.

For summer fish, I prefer to just lightly salt and pepper and grill (skin on) on the BBQ. 

DANG!  Why do I have read these stupid posts so early.  Now I'm starved!!!

ditto what Spot said on the Summer fish.

 I also recommend getting some Trager "Salmon Shake" even if you don't have a Trager.  It is perfect, lightly sprinkled, on salmon and steelhead for the grill/bake/broil.  Takes care of the salt and the seasoning all in one shot.   Haven't found anyone who hasn't liked it. 

Costco has a "Sweet Mesquite Seasoning"  that I put on damn near anything-- tastes great!
Rob.   

Why does Rainbow Trout from a lake taste so much different from Steelhead?

cause it's like bearwhiz beer?? ..." it's in the water, son..."

Why does Rainbow Trout from a lake taste so much different from Steelhead?

Most likely what they're eating and the general life cycle and environment the fish live in. When it comes to steelhead, all those miles gotta account for something.

Z