Whole fish

It’s scary to consider cooking a whole fish because we’re used to perfectly cleaned and cut fillets from the grocery store. If you’ve considered getting a whole fish, it’s difficult to figure out where to start. Armed with a few tips however, and cooking a whole fish becomes second nature.

Fish are best bought at the seafood counter or a farmers market. You pick out a fish, ask the butches to clean, gut, and butterfly the fish, then you’re ready to go. A half pound fish is good for a light meal for two people. A 1 pound fish will be plenty for two people for dinner. As the fish increases in size, there is a greater proportion of meat. A four pound fish would be enough for 8 people, or 4 people for dinner then leftovers for a day or two.

In San Francisco, we were lucky to have a farmers market at the Ferry Building, which  has fish caught the same day from Monterrey Bay, at a reasonable price. Chinatowns also has live fish.

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish
• Flavoring to stick inside it

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275.
2. Rinse the fish thoroughly in the sink. Fill the cavity in the fish with whatever you wish and some salt and pepper. Rosemary and lemon is a classic combination that can never go wrong. Feel free to use any pairing of citrus, even oranges, and herbs like parsley and dill. Other combinations include thinly sliced ginger with a splash of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar for an Asian take.
3. Bake at 275 for 25 minutes for a half pound fish. Increase time by 10 min for each additional half pound.