Whole Roasted Yellowtail Snapper with Oregano, Parsley and Lemon
The Occasion: Serving whole fish looks pretty impressive – like the seafood version of a crown roast with foofy little paper frills on the bones, do you know what I mean? With a little practice it’s not that difficult, but I recommend you save this nice presentation for a dinner party or special meal.
The Subtext: I’ve made this dish before but did such a poor job filleting the cooked fish that I didn’t want to show you the photos. They say the second time’s the charm, and practice does make perfect, so now I’m ready to share so you may learn from my experience.
Why This Recipe: Most recipes I’ve found for cooking whole fish are essentially the same. Clean it, season it, stuff it with herbs, lemon and whatever. Roast, fillet, and serve. The specific stuffing ingredients are adaptable to suit your taste and what’s available in the fridge.
The Subtext: I’ve made this dish before but did such a poor job filleting the cooked fish that I didn’t want to show you the photos. They say the second time’s the charm, and practice does make perfect, so now I’m ready to share so you may learn from my experience.
Why This Recipe: Most recipes I’ve found for cooking whole fish are essentially the same. Clean it, season it, stuff it with herbs, lemon and whatever. Roast, fillet, and serve. The specific stuffing ingredients are adaptable to suit your taste and what’s available in the fridge.
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The Playlist: This atmospheric song, Gentle Hour, was recorded by Snapper in 1993 and later covered by Yo La Tengo. I chose it because our fish was a yellowtail snapper, although you could use this treatment with almost any type of fish.
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The Verdict: I love the simplicity and flexibility of this treatment for fish. Don’t have any fresh oregano? Fine, use extra parsley then. No fresh garlic? Tuck some onion slices in the cavity instead. Easy. Deboning and filleting the fish still makes me a bit nervous, but Hooked on Fish shared a really good how-to video link from TheOfficialHungry that helps a lot. Check it out. Whole roast fish is delicious, impressive, and worth your while!
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
| Printable Recipe- Whole Roasted Fish with Oregano, Parsley and Lemon |
Whole Roasted Fish with Oregano, Parsley, and Lemon
Recipe source: Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
Recipe source: Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats
INGREDIENTS:
- Water
- Kosher salt
- 2 (2-pound) whole white-fleshed fish, such as sea bass, yellow snapper, branzino, or porgy, scaled and gutted
- Lemon slices, peeled garlic cloves, peeled ginger slices, fresh oregano sprigs, fresh parsley sprigs, for stuffing
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing and drizzling
DIRECTIONS:
- Fill a large bowl about halfway with room-temperature water and add enough salt to taste, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add fish and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain fish and pat dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in center of oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff belly cavities with lemon slices, garlic cloves, ginger, and herb sprigs.
- Roast fish until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°F, about 20-25 minutes depending on dimensions of fish; alternatively, roast until fins come right off when pulled and flesh can be felt to flake under the skin when you press on it. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Gently remove fillets from bone cage, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
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