Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Wash the trout inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Using a mortar and pestle, smash up the thyme with 1 teaspoon of salt, some pepper and the olive oil (or very finely chop). Rub this mixture into the trout; covering the belly cavity and the skin.

Cut the lemons in half and remove the ends so they have a flat edge. With the point of a knife, make an incision into the flesh of each lemon half and stick a bay leave into it. Place the trout and lemons on a roasting tray and bake, allowing roughly 10 minutes. To check that the trout is cooked properly, just go to the thickest part of the trout and try to pull the meat away from the bone. If it pulls away easily it is cooked, and if it doesn’t put it back into the oven for a couple more minutes. By the time the trout has finished cooking the skin should be crispy. The roasted lemons should be beautifully sweet and slightly jammy in flavor.

Serve the trout with the lemon, which you can squeeze on to the fish. I like to serve this with some pan-fried potatoes and a crisp green salad.

The Naked Chef p88

Jamie Oliver