Whole fish vs. fillets

I woke up this morning wanting a whole fish. I’ve made some serious cuts of meat before, but I’ve never actually scaled, gutted and cleaned a whole fish before. I usually ask the fish guys in Chinatown to do this for me, but I was determined to learn today. And when I’m determined…

First stop this morning was the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket to the Blue Moon stand where a long line was already snaking past other stands. The fish is that fresh. I had my heart set on a whole sea bass, either cooked in parchment with baby Spring veggies or stuffed and salt-baked. When I finally got to the front, I found out that they had already sold out. Wah! The fishmonger suggested I buy the filleted sea bass, but I’m simply too hardcore for that. Turns out a restauranteur bought all the whole sea bass…not fair in my book. By some stroke of luck, the owner appeared next to me to pick up his fish. Undeterred, I asked him outright if I could buy a fish off him, from one cook to another. He agreed, and I had my whole sea bass. Yay!

Now came the hard work of cleaning the damn thing. I read a couple how-tos online and discovered the most important one – scale the fish outside because the scales will fly everywhere. And who wants smelly fish scales clinging to everything in her kitchen? Not me. So I went outside around the corner to scale the fish. Easy and actually pretty fun, for both me and the onlookers.

By this time, I decided to salt-bake the fish since I’d never done this before and wanted to try something new. Aside from prepping the fish and making sure you have lots of coarse salt on hand, this is one of the best ways to cook a whole fish. I was simply amazed by the results. The fish was moist, tender, and perfectly cooked. The reviews for the recipe mentioned salt getting into the cavity of the fish, but I solved that problem by stitching the fish cavity shut with a needle and thread. The salt crust added a mild seasoning to the fish, and the  meat was nicely infused with the lemons and julienned leeks. This recipe turned me into a whole fish convert.

I strongly encourage you to try this recipe. Don’t get intimidated by cleaning a whole fish! Yes, you have to deal with fish guts, and yes, there will be a little blood, but it’s so worth the effort. You gain this enormous sense of accomplishment and a true appreciation of where your food comes from when you handle a whole animal.

Salt-baked fish

3-4 lb. whole fish

2 leeks, white and light green part julienned

1 lemon, cut into thin slices

1 T. coriander

1 T. peppercorns

1 t. fennel seeds

6 c. coarse kosher salt

2 egg whites

Good quality olive oil for drizzling

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Clean fish by scaling, gutting, and removing the fins and gills. Check out tutorials on About.com.

Toast the coriander, whole peppercorns and fennel seeds until golden brown. Grind coarsely using mortar annd pestle, or by putting the spices in a strong plastic baggie and crushing with a rolling pin or any heavy dull object.

Make the salt shell by combine the egg whites, 1/4 c. water, and salt in a large bowl.

Stuff the fish cavity (both body cavity and gill cavity) with the crushed spices, sliced lemons and julienned leeks. Stitch the body cavity shut with needle and thread.

On a foil-lined baking pan, Spread about 2 c. salt mixture into a long rectangle about the size of the fish. Lay fish on the salt and cover with the remaining salt. Pat down the salt so it form a nice, compact shell around the fish.

Bake the fish at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. Take the fish out and let it sit for 10 minutes. Using the blunt edge of a large knife, crack open the salt shell and remove the fish, brushing off excess salt. Serve on a warmed platter with a drizzle of good olive oil and lemon wedges.

And after!