To research the effects of tea polyphenol, chitosan and lemon juice on the quality of refrigerated rainbow trout fillets stored at 4 ℃, the fresh-keeping effects were listed as follows: sensory, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value and total viable counts. The ratio of the three preservatives was optimized by single factor and response surface methodology. The results showed that the three preservatives inhibited the sensory evaluation, TVB-N value and total viable counts of the fillets compared with the control group during storage. The fresh-keeping effects were as follows: chitosan>tea polyphenol>lemon juice. There was a significant interaction between chitosan and lemon juice, as well as tea polyphenol and lemon juice. However, the interaction between chitosan and tea polyphenol was not significant. The optimum ratio of the three preservatives consisted of: 1.75% chitosan, 0.25% tea polyphenol, and 4.98% lemon juice. Compared with the control group, the compound preservative could effectively delay the sensory deterioration and the decomposition of nitrogenous substances such as fish protein. Meanwhile, the compound preservative could inhibit the growth of microorganisms during storage.