Whole fish

[robyn]

Where do you live?  In the southeast - it's really easy to find whole farm raised trout (boned and butterflied).  They may not be the best fish in the world - but they taste fine - and - for what they cost - you won't kill yourself if you mess them up.  Robyn

Wait -- are they whole? Or are they boned and butterflied?

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Not to bust your chops...

I was typing faster than I was thinking. They're gutted. Bones in - head on - slit down the middle. Can be cooked as a whole fish with both halves together - or "butterflied". Robyn

[Jaymes]

I kinda hesitate to post this because it just seems so weird, and it was, but I used to live in Alaska, and we were always inundated with whole salmon. Everyone's freezers were always full of the stuff. But everyone still went fishing, so they'd come home and go around the neighborhood trying to talk you into taking some. We were always looking for good ways to fix it. I had a friend whose baked salmon was just wonderful. She wouldn't tell me how she did it because she said it was "very unusual." Finally she told me that she took sauerkraut and stuffed the gutted whole fish with it, and then coated the entire thing with mayonnaise. Then baked it.

So I tried it. What a mess. I can't remember if I wrapped it in foil, or exactly what all I did, other than it was about the strangest dish I've ever prepared. But it did taste just great. You discard the sauerkraut before you serve the fish. And the mayo bakes away, so the finished dish doesn't look strange at all.

Weird. But very, very good. I always meant to question her further, and try it a few more times in order to perfect it, but then we moved. And it's just amazing how infrequently people try to force whole salmon upon me now that I live in Texas.

Edited March 6, 2004 by Jaymes (log)

[jo-mel]

Whatever way you finally end up cooking your whole fish, dont forget to pull out the ckeek nugget and slowly savor it for its tenderness and sweetness. It is the BEST part of the fish!

One Chinese hint I've used when cooking a largish whole fish, that won't fit into a steamer --- or even into a large wok for deep/frying:

Simply cut the fish in half with a diagonal slice across its center <~~~\~~~<

When the fish is cooked, put the two pieces back together again, and pour the sauce over -- hiding the 'scar'.

[Boris_A]

A 3 ft pike:

Well prepared after 45 minutes of braising in the oven:

This was the end my friend:

The meat was white and very firm, almost like chicken. The bones have been so large that there was no problem. The taste was not unlike a wild salmon. It was a success and it's going to be repeated next easter when pikes of that size are available again.

[Lavolta]

I've only begun cooking whole fish this year (something about the woeful look on the poor thing's face always turned me off before) but now this is practically the only way I'll prepare fish. Lifeless fillets seem so detached and non-piscine.

Anyway, one of my favorite fish to cook whole is also (happily) the cheapest and easiest -- trout. There are several fishmongers here in SF's Mission District that keep tanks of live trout and will gladly dispatch them for you while you wait. My favorite method of cooking is to wrap the trout in Serrano ham or prosciutto (stuff a few slices in the cavity for good measure) and broil for a couple of minutes on each side. Amazing. And don't stand on ceremony in re: bones. Just pick away with your fork or, if you prefer, pull the spine and head off in one smooth stroke...

[mongo_jones]

here's an ancient indian recipe developed in my kitchen:

one whole red snapper--say about 1-1 1/2 lbs

little juliennes of ginger

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 medium tomato

1 tspn chilli powder

1/2 tspn turmeric

4 tspns vinegar

1 tspn sugar

1 tspn garam masala

salt

heat oven to 350 degrees. clean fish and make 3-4 incisions on each side (cut to but not through the bone). throw everything but the fish, ginger and cilantro in a blender and puree. take the puree and rub it into the cuts on the fish, all over and stuff the excess into the cavity. stick the julienned ginger into the cuts. sprinkle a little of the cilantro over the fish. shove in oven and remove when done. 5 minutes before done-ness sprinkle the rest of the cilantro over the fish.

eat with steamed rice and a dal. eat the eyes.

edit to add: whole pomfret, yellow croaker etc. can also be

and to suggest: for great whole fish go to the biggest asian grocery in your area

Edited May 5, 2004 by mongo_jones (log)

[bleudauvergne]

A 3 ft pike:

...

The meat was white and very firm, almost like chicken. The bones have been so large that there was no problem. The taste was not unlike a wild salmon. It was a success and it's going to be repeated next easter when pikes of that size are available again.

Just wonderful.

[aliwaks]

A salt crust is also a great way to cook a whole fish. We had one when were in Spain, and it was just amazing. The salt crust gets all golden brown, and they brought it to the table and chipped the salt off in front of us. It was really moist and flavorful.

That's one of my favorite ways, insanely fool proof & fun

1 box kosher salt

whole red snapper

sliced lemons

fresh herb

(mint or marjoram or rosemary or basil or cilantro depends on where your going with the rest of the meal, I usually go with mint then serve with couscous w. perserved lemons & something like snap peas cooked with tomato & ginger)

anyhoo..add water to the salt in small increments till it is pliable damp but not wet

I sometimes toss some lemon zest in to the salt don't know if it makes a difference of not to tell the truth.

stuff the fish with lemon slices & herbs

plunk about half the salt on a cookie sheet lay the fish down and cover with remaining salt, you can fashion the salt around the fish so it is fish shaped which is cool for presentation

roast at like 375 till the salt crust turns brown. the great thing is that it holds alot of moisture so its hard to over cook, also good for dinner party since you can take it out of the oven do what you have to do and it retains heat.

Bring to the table crack the crust with a good hard whack and pull off the top the skin will come right off with the salt crust.

also once BBQ a whole salmon wrapped it in grape leaves & stuffed with rosemary branches. it was amazing

[bleudauvergne]

I'm going to try that this weekend.

[lala]

Ok, how about this one: how to cook a whole 4-6 pound wild salmon? I like the salt crust idea, and I've had it done with an onion stuffing? Any suggestions?

I like salmon, but the prices here in Seattle are off the wall. But I can get the 4-6#'er for a reasonable price. I intend to cook it, eat some, and freeze the rest for later.

[Boris_A]

Any suggestions?

My recipe was to gently fry a carrot, a bit of celery, a green (spring) onion and a parsley root (everthing finely cut) in a lot of olive oil. I deglaced with a very sour wine and some lemon juice and made a reduction. Add some parsley.

I rubbed a fair amount of salt and pepper inside and added the reduced vegetables inside and a bit outside and let it macerate for 1-2 hours. (Preferably, the meat is a room temperature before cooking).

After that, I roasted (or braised) for 45 minutes at 180C and gave some upper heat at the end to give colour and a bit crisp.

eat some, and freeze the rest for later.

Invite enough people and forget the freezer.

[Mabelline]

Does anyone else snip the fins and gills off? I've always done this for I have always been given to understand there is a bitter flavor to the gills, and snipping off the fins just kept you from getting poked.

[AndrewK]

I really hope that there isn't a thread on this already, but I have to ask if anyone has ever cooked a fish on the engine of their car. Being in Texas, we tend to drive a lot and whole fish is plentiful with the Gulf Coast. What I want to know is where do you place the fish? Wrap it in foil? How long do you have to drive for? Does it matter that it is hotter than hell here in the summer? I'm more concerned with damaging my engine than my guts, but is there anything to worry about?

Thanks!

Andrew

[bleudauvergne]

After that, I roasted (or braised) for 45 minutes at 180C and gave some upper heat at the end to give colour and a bit crisp.

Note 180 C would be around 350 F.

[bleudauvergne]

I really hope that there isn't a thread on this already, but I have to ask if anyone has ever cooked a fish on the engine of their car. Being in Texas, we tend to drive a lot and whole fish is plentiful with the Gulf Coast. What I want to know is where do you place the fish? Wrap it in foil? How long do you have to drive for? Does it matter that it is hotter than hell here in the summer? I'm more concerned with damaging my engine than my guts, but is there anything to worry about?

Thanks!

Andrew

Ah, the taste of a fish fresh from the engine, the battery acid, lightly infused with carbon monoxide fumes.

You haven't done this, have you?

Edited May 10, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[AndrewK]

Bleu:

Not only have I never done it, I've never tasted it or even seen it done, so I'm really only relying a couple of people assuring me that "it's real f-ing good". Come to think of it, the people who keep trying to get me to do it aren't the brightest of bulbs in the universe, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. WHat do you suggest and what have your expereinces been with this?

Andrew

[Comfort Me]

My wife firmly prohibits anything on our table which still has a head. This is absolute, and I had to promise her I wouldn't do it before she would agree to marry me. So I cut the head off, put proceed as if I otherwise was working with a whole fish.

[Singapore]

Does anyone else snip the fins and gills off? I've always done this for I have always been given to understand there is a bitter flavor to the gills, and snipping off the fins just kept you from getting poked.

I usually have the gills and fins removed when I have the fish cleaned.

[bleudauvergne]

Come to think of it, the people who keep trying to get me to do it aren't the brightest of bulbs in the universe, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. WHat do you suggest and what have your expereinces been with this?

Andrew

Andrew, I'm so sorry, I have no experience in cooking a fish in the engine of a car. Maybe someone else can help you out with that.

[Singapore]

Closest I've heard about is where the Marines would put their MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) on the engine block of their vehicles to heat them up.

[memesuze]

Isn't there a cookbook based on foodstuffs cooked in the engine compartment?

[uberleet]

Isn't there a cookbook based on foodstuffs cooked in the engine compartment?

It's called "Manifold Destiny." I haven't seen it in years, but it's an amusing read. Turns out it's out of print and fairly expensive.

Edited to add link and availability note.

Edited May 10, 2004 by uberleet (log)

[AndrewK]

Closest I've heard about is where the Marines would put their MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) on the engine block of their vehicles to heat them up.

I thought MRE stood for Meals Rejected by Ethiopians. My father scored some of those from a military surplus store and we used them on a backpacking trip to Colorado. The nickname was more appropriate, because to this day, I blame my confused taste-buds and out-of-whack palette on that trip. That said, maybe I could learn to enjoy some fish basted in engine coolant.

Thanks for the book ref. I'll try to find it at the library.

Andrew

[aliwaks]

I remember my dad cooking fish in the dishwasher, wrapped tight in foil & our dishwasher had a steam only or plate warming option, I think or maybe he just didn't put the soap in...I was a kid I can't really remember anything more than that oh and I didn't eat it becasue was in a non fish eating phase

[Malawry]

This whole subject deserves its own thread.