Whole Fish

I really love to eat a whole fish. Increasingly, Americans have an appetite for the faster, more convenient filet... in fact, I once called 30 restaurants during a recent family vacation to Florida and not one of them offered fish prepared like this. But other regions in the world, including countries on the Mediterranean and South America (and countless others) still offer up whole grilled, baked and fried specialties.

Pedro and I love to take a trip to Pittsburgh's Strip District to buy fresh fish from Wholey's. We ask the fish monger to gut and descale the fish, but to leave the head, tail and fins on. We pack the fish on ice for the trip home. A few of our recent buys include Porgy (yum! - wide guy pictured below), Jersey Blue Fish (a little oily), Silver Snapper (yum!) and Bronzini (yum!).

Once home, we cut off any of the sharp side fins with professional kitchen scissors. Then we rinse the fish inside and out and make sure the fish monger caught all the scales (if not, just take a sharp knife against the direction of the scales and they'll pop right out).

We like to stuff the fish with all kinds of herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, etc.), fresh garlic chunks, butter, olive oil, salt and lemon slices. We cook the fish on oven-proof plates...  typically at 375 degrees for 25 minutes +/- for a fish that weighs somewhere around a pound or a little more.

To test the fish's readiness, pull it out of the oven and check if the flesh pulls away from the bone easily.

Buying a 1 pound fish is typically more than enough to fill me up, but you can serve with a simple side of cooked potatoes or vegetables.

Pictured below: Porgy from the Strip District!

Pictured below: Yum yum fried whole fish on Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!