Cooking without a recipe: how to prepare a whole fish
A whole fish looks like a real showstopper on the dinner table, which may make you think it’s difficult to prepare. Nothing could be further from the truth; you don’t even need a recipe. Here’s how to do it.
Preparing a whole fish is actually much easier than frying perfect fillets in a pan. If you’re really practical (or lazy), you can also add vegetables and some par-cooked potatoes to the baking sheet with your fish. That way, you’ll have a complete meal in no time, with hardly any effort required.
Another major advantage of preparing a fish whole is that the bones help keep the fish juicy. A minute more or less in the oven matters much less than when you’re frying a delicate fillet.
Choose your fish
In principle, you can use any fish you come across whole at the fishmonger’s. Allow around 400–500 grams per person. That’s considerably more than for a fillet, but of course you don’t eat the head and bones; you can use them to make stock afterwards. Are you giving everyone an individual fish of this weight? Then a small sea bream or trout is a good choice. Are you baking a larger fish to share with several people? Then go for sea bass.
The fish mentioned above are generally available at every fishmonger’s. See another beautiful whole fish? Just take it home. Always ask the fishmonger to clean and scale the fish for you. That way, you won’t have to remove all the innards yourself, and your kitchen won’t soon be covered in scales. Much more pleasant.
Seasoning
Season the fish with salt and pepper on the outside, but also on the inside, in the cavity. Now it’s time to add your other flavourings, and you can take this in any direction. Keep it Mediterranean with garlic, lemon and herbs such as thyme, rosemary or parsley. Prefer Asian flavours? Go for lime, garlic, ginger, chilli and perhaps soy sauce or sesame oil. Coriander and mint are also delicious here. Or give your fish a Mexican touch with plenty of chilli, chipotle and adobo, lime and coriander.
Above all, experiment with things you like, or happen to have in the fridge. It’s not that precise. Going Mediterranean? Rub the fish with olive oil. For Asian or Mexican flavours, use sunflower oil. To make tidying up easier, line the baking sheet with aluminium foil or baking paper.
Baking
Roast the fish in a preheated oven at 180 ºC until an internal temperature of 57 ºC has been reached. A small individual fish takes around 15 minutes, while a larger fish needs approximately 20–25 minutes. Turn the fish over halfway through cooking. If the weather is nice, the fish can also be cooked perfectly well on the barbecue. Wrap it in aluminium foil and grill it for 12–18 minutes, depending on its size.
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