Baked Whole Fish with Lemon & Herbs

I know that I should eat more fish. It’s better for:

• my waistline
• my skin
• the planet (assuming you stick to certain fishes. More on that later)

But here’s the problem: I live in an old apartment with a kitchen vent on the far side of the room. This means that when I try to make fish on the stove top or grill it in my groovy electric grill, my home stinks for days.

This leaves me with only one option: baking. But baked fillets can get kind of boring. On the flip side, I used to find whole fish kind of intimidating. That is until I tried this super easy, beyond delicious recipe for baked whole fish with lemon & herbs. There are any number of advantages to using the whole fish. First, it’s significantly less expensive than buying fillets. And second, there is a lot more choice. However, there are some things to consider when buying fish.

How to Choose the Right Fish for the Planet

Eating fish can be better for the planet. Fish don’t produce greenhouse gases like cows for one thing. But it is important to choose the right fish. Many species are overfished. Or the way that they are caught produces a whole host of other environmental issues. Sometimes, it’s hard to know which choice is the right choice. Seafood Watch (check it out here) is a great organization that breaks down your choices by state into good, ok and avoid. There is also an app that you can put on your phone so that you are never without a quick resource. Personally, I love reading through the best choices list because it exposes me to new fish options. And getting out of a rut, fish or otherwise, is always a good thing.

Filleting a Whole Fish Is Easy

The thing about whole fish is that you have to fillet it. This sounds like a bigger deal than it actually is. That is, once you know what you are doing. This video breaks it down into super simple steps:

Baked Whole Fish with Lemon & Herbs Is Adaptable

The other thing that I love about this baked whole fish with lemon & herbs recipe is that it is easy to adapt for 1 person, 2 people or more. I recently served it at a dinner party for 6, and it could not have been simpler. Also, you can use any whole fish. I made it with snapper, but it would have worked just as well with sea bass, trout or white fish. So, get creative.

Print Pin

Baked Whole Fish with Lemon & Herbs

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 2 1/2 lb whole fish cleaned & scaled*
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon thinly sliced & seeds removed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs parsley, thyme, rosemary**
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1/4 fennel thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic crushed

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place fish on top and make 3 crosswise slashes down to the bone on each side of the fish.
• Rub the fish with the olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
• Stuff each slash with 1 slice lemon and some herbs. Stuff the cavity with the fennel, shallot, garlic and remaining lemon slices and herbs.
• Roast for 20 minutes until the flesh is opaque. Serve with lemon. Or gremolata***.

Notes

*If you can not find one fish that is the right size for you, buy multiple fish that equal the weight that you need. With whole fish, the rule of thumb is 8 oz. or 1/2 pound per person.

**I used a combination of Italian parsley, thyme and rosemary, but you could also try oregano, chervil, sorrel, dill... you get the picture.

***Gremolata is a mixture of minced raw garlic (2 cloves), lemon zest (1 t) and chopped Italian Parlsey (3 T). Sometimes, I will also add 1 T of olive oil and sea salt. Delicious!