Growing up on the coast of Southern California, fresh seafood was always available. On Saturday mornings, it was not uncommon for my family and I to go to the fishing port early to buy a whole catch to cook that night. My family and I would always have a different whole-fish on our dinner table every weekend. The whole Flounder would be pan-seared in butter and served the next weekend. Another would be grilled mackerel with tortillas and lime. As soon as I began my first job behind the fish counter in a local seafood restaurant, the responsibility for cooking whole fish fell to me. The experience I gained behind the counter of a local seafood restaurant taught me how to handle a fish properly. Here, I learned how to cook, butcher and clean fish with elegance. During my stay, I learned how to cook and serve whole fish and what to look out for.
When looking for the best type to cook whole, it’s important to select a fish with thick and firm flesh. This will ensure that the fish remains intact throughout the cooking process. Prioritize freshness and look for brightly coloured gills and clear eyes. The skin should also be smooth, tight, and shiny. You should avoid any fish that is sticky, slimy, or smelly.
1. Salmon
Salmon is a great option if you want to cook a whole fish. Cooking a whole fish is as simple as learning your ABCs, whether you are an experienced home cook or a beginner. It’s also a good option for those who want to cook a delicious fish without spending a fortune.
You’ll find Atlantic salmon at most local fish markets. Atlantic salmon has a mild flavour, and its high-fat content results in a melt-in-your-mouth flavour. Due to its size, it’s best to bake Atlantic salmon. You can easily stuff the cavity of your salmon with parsley and lemon slices, drizzle olive oil over it, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. The whole fruit is available throughout the year and can be found easily.
2. Black Sea Bass
Try cooking black sea bass if you are tired of making only salmon or cod. The black sea bass is the smaller North American species of sea bass. It’s great for cooking whole. The body of these fish is plump, fat and full of flavour.
The black sea bass is a light and fresh fish with a buttery taste. It has a delicate but firm texture and, like many white fishes, does not have a strong flavour of fish. Black sea bass is a blank canvas for most chefs. The fish is very adaptable to different cooking methods, and it is also extremely receptive to flavours.
If you want to stick with tradition, you can pan-sear the meat in olive oil until it is crisp and cooked through. Use the remaining bits in the pan to create a sauce using butter, white wine, and acidic ingredients such as capers or lemon peel. You can also try steaming the fish in a bamboo sock and stuffing it with lemongrass and ginger. Steaming fish ensures that it remains moist and tender while minimizing overcooking. Serve with a bowl of jasmine-steamed white rice and a crunchy recipe for bok choy.
3. Rainbow trout
Grilling whole fish is a great way to get everyone together in your backyard to enjoy the warm and long summer days. Rainbow trout has one of the thinnest fillets on this list, making it easy to grill whole. It’s easy to grill them on the BBQ since they only take a few seconds on each side. The fish’s natural high-fat content keeps it moist during grilling. This makes it a great option for dry heating cooking. Keep the skin on the fish to seal in moisture and get crispy skin. The skin will prevent the meat from sticking to the grill grates.
If grilling doesn’t suit your taste, rainbow trout can be cooked in a pan or broiled. They can even be deep-fried. Rainbow trout is a mild, sweet and nutty fish with a natural flavour. Fish like this pair well with citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons, and delicate herbs, like dill or basil. Serve the fish with an endive, walnut, radicchio and pear salad to bring out the nutty flavour of the fish. The bitterness of the chicory leaves and the buttery texture from the walnuts are a great combination for the delicious taste of rainbow trout.
4. Halibut
A whole halibut can serve a large number of people. Halibut is a great option if you have guests over for dinner but aren’t sure what type of protein to prepare. Roasting a whole fish in the oven is a great way to prepare it. It isn’t easy to grill halibut because of its low-fat content and size. You can preserve its shape and flavour by roasting the fish in the oven.
Halibut is a mild, clean, fishy taste with firm, white flesh. It pairs well with bold sauces and seasonings. Cajun spice blends of cayenne, paprika and red peppercorns bring out the best in this fish. If you prefer the traditional method, then use the drippings from the roasting process to make a beurre blanc sauce. The French sauce is bright and acidic, adding a classic element to the halibut. You can make dinner in minutes by tossing some asparagus and waxy potatoes with olive oil and placing them on a sheet tray.
5. Branzino
If you see branzino on the menu, you might think that it is a fancy Italian fish. However, it is the Italian name for European seabass. Branzino has a mild, delicate flavour and a slightly sweet taste. The texture of the fish is exceptional, ranging from flaky and firm on the outside muscles to soft and floppy in the interior flesh. Branzino is a good option for those who want to increase their fish consumption gradually.
The mild white fish, which is usually served whole and cooked with lemon slices and minced parsley, is a favourite. Roasting the entire branzino in the oven is a common way to cook it. It’s usually done with some sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil. The skin gets crispy, but the flesh stays soft, moist and tender. Chefs prefer to roast the fish in the oven, but the fish can be cooked using any method. Another great option is to grill it whole on a barbecue or spit. Open flames will burn the skin slightly, giving it a delicious char mark and a smoky taste.
Whatever way you prepare it, serve it with a bottle of high-quality oil and some lemon wedges. Also, add some crusty bread. Use a fork and knife to cut into the branzino or just your hands. Be sure to leave only the bones behind.
6. Flounder
The Flounder, another flatfish, is a great option for cooking a whole fish. Many home cooks mistake flounder for halibut. The main difference between these two species is the size. Halibut is usually larger and has a firmer texture. The Flounder tends to be smaller and more delicate. Flounder has a buttery, richer taste because of its high-fat content. This buttery flavour is enhanced by nuttiness and mineral notes.
There are many ways to cook flounder whole. Professional chefs usually prefer to pan-sear the Flounder or bake it in the oven. When pan-searing the Flounder, lightly flour both sides of it to get a crispy exterior. Keep it simple and sear the Flounder with butter, then deglaze with lemon, capers, parsley and a knob of cold butter. The fish will be cooked completely in under 15 minutes if you use the oven. You can set the table once the fish reaches an internal temperature of between 140 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
You don’t have to add extra sauces or seasonings because fish has a buttery flavour. However, you can enhance the buttery flavor of fish by adding some acidic ingredients and then balancing them with sharp and hearty herbs.
7. Red Snapper
The red snapper is another great fish. The red snapper is known for both its bright skin and its delicious flavour. Notes of sweetness and nuts complement the mild flavour of red snapper, and it pairs well with acidic and hardy ingredients. You can grill or roast the fish in the oven, depending on the weather. Enjoy the fish with a dry white wine and a herby salsa of minced garlic, parsley and capers.
The bones from a red snapper can be used to make fish stock. The bones of red snapper are perfect for stock making because they impart a rich, savoury flavour to the fish without leaving an oily texture. Add some aromatics like onions, leeks, and garlic to create a stock full of umami that can be used in various recipes.
8. Sea Bream
The sea bream makes a great fish to cook in its whole form, whether you are a novice or an expert. It is known for its dense, meaty texture. The fish has a rich, rich flavour that is infused with subtle umami and minerality. Sea bream is an excellent choice for beginners because it doesn’t taste or smell fishy.
Its small size and round shape make it suitable for almost any cooking method. You can drizzle some olive oil on it, stuff it full of hardy herbs and roast it, or pan-sear it until it’s crisped on both sides. You may want to purchase a kitchen thermometer if you plan to pan-sear the whole sea bream to ensure that it is fully cooked. Seabream is a great protein to serve at a dinner party or for a weeknight meal. This would be lovely with some steamed rice and a crunchy salad of cucumbers.
9. Smelt
Are you looking for a delicious fish to fry whole at your next fish fry event? The small, silvery fish is a great option. Smelt, unlike anchovies or other smaller oily species, has a soft, fresh flavour. They are still very oily fish and incredibly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but the delicate texture makes them incomparable with other small fish species.
The smelt fish is usually 6-8 inches long and delicious when cooked in its entirety. Smelt fish are usually deep-fried whole with the skin, bones, fins, and head. You can remove the innards and bones if you are a picky eater. However, they’re perfectly fine to eat. Smelts are soft by nature, and they melt into the flesh when cooked.
The exterior of the smelt is often coated in flour or dredged in water before it’s fried. This results in a crunchy, crispy exterior with a soft, flaky inside. You can serve it with some sliced lemons and spicy mustard. Garnish it with minced parsley.
10. Anchovies
Although you are probably more familiar with these tiny but powerful fish in tins or cans, they taste incredible when served fresh and whole. Deep-fried anchovies are served in coastal Italian towns as a snack and appetizer. The anchovies are usually lightly fried and coated with flour. They are never battered. In the Liguria region, street vendors are known to sell countless plates of fried anchovies. The bones of this small but powerful fish are very small and almost disappear when they’re cooked.
Anchovies whole are delicious fried, but they also taste great pan-seared or baked. Pan-searing is easy. Heat an oiled pan on medium-high and sear the anchovies for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cold butter to a white wine and minced garlic. Scrape off any leftover residue from the anchovies. Cook until the alcohol flavour fades. Anchovies are cooked in this way in Mediterranean homes when the anchovy harvest begins in April. In Genoa, you’ll find them baked. They may be stuffed with parsley, garlic and lemon zest or seasoned breadcrumbs. It’s also easy to grill them. Just skewer the whole thing, grill it over an open flame and garnish with lime juice. Make sure that they do not fall between the grill grates.
11. Haddock
You might know haddock as the fish that you use to make crispy fish sticks. But it is also a good option for cooking a whole fish. Haddock belongs to the white fish family. It is often confused with cod but has a milder, sweeter taste. Haddock has a meatier, firmer texture that allows it to keep its shape when cooked, unlike cod, which has a flakier, softer consistency.
Ask your fishmonger, when buying a whole halibut from the local fish market, to remove the gills and gut it for you. This will save you time in the cooking process. Roasting a whole fish in the oven is the best way to prepare it. Stuff the cavity with sliced lemons, fresh herbs, garlic, onions, or ginger. The fish can be cooked directly on the sheet pan or “en papillote” in French style. This involves wrapping the fish in aluminium foil or parchment paper and baking it in the oven. This method traps steam during cooking, resulting in a moist and fluffy dish almost every time. Whole haddock is also great on the grill. If you have a large haddock, it can be hard to handle in the kitchen. Grilling the fish on the BBQ is the best option.
12. Mackerel
Like all of the other fish in this list, mackerel is delicious when cooked whole. Most seafood markets carry this affordable fish, which the home cook often overlooks. This fish has an oily, rich flavour and a moist texture. The high-fat content gives it a fishy taste. However, this is not a reason to avoid cooking mackerel at home.
The best method of cooking a mackerel is grilling or baking it whole. Grilling will give your whole mackerel a unique flavour and crispy skin. Start by placing the mackerel on the grates. Cook it for four to five minutes on each side. You don’t need to douse the fish in olive oil before cooking it, as it is already very oily. Just make sure that your grates are clean. Grilling is a method of cooking that uses dry heat, so be sure not to overcook the fish.
If you don’t have a barbecue, you can still bake the meat. Place it on an oven-safe sheet pan and season it according to your taste. Bake it for about 20 minutes. The easiest way to cook it is in the oven, as you don’t need to use a barbecue. It also retains moisture better.
