Grilled Rhön trout

If you want to link the Corona pandemic with something positive, then the new desire to travel to Germany's low mountain ranges is definitely one of them. The Rhön was also able to benefit from this Germany boom last year. The region is particularly close to nature and pleasure: The people of the Rhön know what tastes good and how to make tasty things. This includes breeding and preparing trout, which is traditionally served in the Rhön Biosphere Reserve . Preferably smoked, grilled or as a skewered fish.

The recipe for grilled "whole trout" by Marc Neugebauer will make your mouth water. There are even more trout recipes from Marc in the FIRE&FOOD issue 02/2021.

Tourism in Germany has undergone a massive change since last year, and one can only hope that interest will continue when one day we are fully vaccinated and long-distance travel is possible again. People are rediscovering their homeland, and the Rhön has a big advantage in this regard: the low mountain range is located in the middle of Germany, connects three federal states, and is also attractive for day trips during the ongoing travel bans. FIRE&FOOD grill specialist Marc Neugebauer lives in Hünfeld, in the Hessian part of the Rhön. He particularly loves this region because craftsmanship and tradition go hand in hand here, from agricultural production to the processing of food and beverages. In small communities, for example, you can often still find the traditional butcher or baker. Rhön trout is a traditional part of the culinary offering here. As a brown trout, it can be found in the clean, clear streams of the nature reserve, but as food it mostly comes from one of the local farms - and these are mainly rainbow and salmon trout, which are raised and then sold as a tasty delicacy.

Trout are divided into brook trout, lake trout and sea trout based on their habitats and belong to the salmon family (Salmoniadae). They are not vegetarians at all, but predatory fish and feed on insect larvae and insects, crustaceans, snails, worms and small fish. A brook trout can be recognized by its many red spots and black spots on its back, and it is also significantly smaller than a rainbow trout. They are characterized by the pink, metallic shimmering band that runs along the lateral line. Salmon trout are also rainbow trout, but their meat gets this salmon-like color from a special diet during rearing. Depending on the type of trout, the fish can grow up to 70 centimeters long and weigh up to 2 kilograms.

Flowing, cool and oxygenated water is essential for trout - whether in the streams and rivers such as in the Rhön Nature Reserve or in the pond landscape of the aquaculture farm. Anyone in possession of a valid fishing license can try their luck after the end of the closed season in May at the latest, when fishing for these protein-rich cold-water fish is allowed again in most areas. But of course buying fresh, ready-to-cook trout from a regional farm is also a good choice - such as the Rhön trout from the Rhönforelle fish farm in Gersfeld.