When I buy a fish and the fishmonger fillets it for me and tries to throw out the head and bones, I almost cry.
What a waste! You’re paying $20 for two slivers of flesh. But if you keep that head and vertebrae, you have two more meals worth of quality protein. No, you’re not eating the eyes and bones (although I think some people do eat the eyes), but there’s a fair bit of flesh attached to the bones and in the head that slides right off when you cook it. And the bones themselves make great soup.
Plus, if you buy the whole, cleaned fish (cleaned means guts removed) and don’t get it filleted, you can stuff it with herbs and roast it whole and feel like a king when you set it down in front of yourself (or guests, I suppose, if you really like them…).
Roasted Whole Fish with Herbs and Rice
This is a variation on a traditional Thai dish where you get a heap of fresh herbs and lettuce to wrap up tender pieces of fish with sticky rice and dunk it all in a salty sauce. You can skip the sauce and it’s still awesome because of the brine. Without the brine, the fish can be pretty bland, depending on the type of fish you buy.
1 whole, cleaned sustainable whitefish, about 2 lbs. Or two 1 lb smaller fish (porgy, large mackerel, walleye, turbot, grouper—ask the fishmonger if it’s sustainable)
6 cups water
3 1/4 cup water, divided
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp cane or coconut or palm sugar (or honey or other sweetener)
2 cups tender lettuce, arugula, thai basil, mint, or any other leafy herb you like (and an optional third cup for stuffing the fish)
4 cups cooked sticky rice, or other
2 tbsp gluten-free soy or miso
1/2 tsp grated ginger (or 1/4 tsp dried)
Juice of half a lime (or 1-2 tbsp lime juice), or rice wine vinegar
2-3 tsp cane or coconut or palm sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne powder or diced fresh cayenne chili, optional
1 tbsp water to dilute, if necessary
Bring the water to a boil and add the salt and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Remove from heat to a large bowl that fits in the fridge. Add the ice cubes and stir to dissolve. The water should be cool to the touch so it doesn’t cook the fish.
Add the whole fish to the bowl and place in the fridge for 2-4 hours (if you brine it overnight, it’s even better, and you can use a tbsp less salt and sugar).
When you’re ready to cook the fish, preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the fish from the brine and place in a baking dish. Don’t worry about drying it off. It’s fine. This is supposed to be easy. No fuss. If you’re fussing, you’re not doing it right. If you really, really want to fuss, stuff some of the herbs inside the fish’s belly before roasting.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl. Adjust seasoning t taste (add more soy or miso or salt, or more lime juice or rice wine vinegar, or sugar).
The fish should almost be tender and the juices should run just a little when you pierce it with a fork. The fish should almost flake in pieces, as though it really wants to fall apart and be succulent for you. Now place it right under the broiler and broil the heck out of its skin for 3 minutes, until crispy and browned and delicious. Remove fish to a platter or a plate.
Serve immediately with rice, herbs and sauce before the skin loses its crispiness. How do you eat it? The fish should be so tender it slides from the bones, but you pull the top fillet off with a knife, and then remove the entire vertebrae in one shot. It will come off easily. Some smaller fish have tiny bones, and those you have to look for. If you’re dividing a whole fish among multiple people, slice off the top fillet and maybe divide it in half if it’s really big. Then remove the vertebrae and slice the bottom fillet in two if necessary. The people who get the top are the lucky ones, though, because of the crispy skin.
You don’t have to eat the flesh in the head, but it’s like a treasure hunt with your utensils to find the meaty cheeks and other delicacies.
Last direction: Smile. Because every recipe should end with a smile…
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