Sea Trout

Sea trout is the migratory, sea-run form of the brown trout (Salmo trutta), an anadromous salmonid fish that spends part of its life in the ocean and returns to freshwater rivers and streams to spawn.

Sea trout's coloring shifts with life stage: a silvery-blue hue at sea gives way to darker, more spotted skin once the fish re-enters freshwater. The flesh is firm and flaky, with a flavor often described as milder than salmon but richer than river-dwelling brown trout.

Cooks prepare sea trout much as they would salmon or trout: baked, grilled, poached, smoked, or cured as gravlax. It is caught along the coasts of Europe and North America, and wild populations have declined in some regions, making farmed and sustainably-certified sources increasingly common.