Fire Pit Trout With Lemon and Dill

The trick here is to cook the fish (as I do with much seafood cooked over an open flame) on a couple of sheets of baking paper directly placed on the grill. It prevents the delicate skin from sticking and makes it easy to move the fish around on the firepit without breaking it up.

SERVES 4

2 trout, each about 500 g (1 lb 2 oz), cleaned and gutted

1 lemon, very finely sliced

1 red onion, very finely sliced

1 bunch dill

Olive oil, for brushing

Lay the trout on a clean work surface. Inside the cavity of each trout put 3–4 slices of lemon, a few slices of red onion, 3–4 sprigs of dill, then another layer of onion and lemon. Season the outside of the fish well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Your firepit is ready to cook on after about 2 hours of burning, when the timber is charcoal black, has transformed into red hot coals about the size of golf balls, and the smoke has all but subsided. To test for heat, you should not be able to hold the palm of your hand 5–10 cm (2–4 inches) above the grill for more than 2–3 seconds. Replace the grill over the firepit and give it around 10 minutes to heat up. (See here.)

Tear off 2 sheets of baking paper about 30 cm (12 inches) square. Lightly brush the paper with olive oil. Put the remaining dill on the paper and lay the fish on top of the dill.

Use the edges of the paper to lift and transfer the fish onto the firepit grill. Cook for 10 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 8–10 minutes, until the flesh of the fish easily pulls away from the bones. One fish can be shared between two people.