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Whole Roasted Fish With Oregano, Parsley, and Lemon Recipe

Daniel Gritzer
Published: Last Updated:
Whole Roasted Fish With Oregano, Parsley, and Lemon Recipe

Roasting fish whole is one of the easiest ways to cook it. [Photograph: Daniel Gritzer. Video: Natalie Holt]

Roasting fish whole is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to cook it. Cooked on the bone and in its skin, the meat remains even more tender and juicy than fillets or steaks do. Here, we soak the fish briefly in a saltwater brine to wash and lightly season it, then stuff the cavity with aromatic herbs, garlic, ginger, and lemon. Feel free to use any other fresh herbs and aromatics you want.

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  • Yield:Serves 4
  • Active time: 15 minutes
  • Total time:55 minutes
  • Rated: 5

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • 2 (2-pound; 900g) whole white-fleshed fish, such as sea bass, branzino, or porgy, scaled and gutted
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Lemon slices, peeled garlic cloves, peeled ginger slices, fresh oregano sprigs, and/or fresh parsley sprigs, for stuffing
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing and drizzling

Directions

  1. 1.

    Fill a large bowl about halfway full with room-temperature water and add enough salt to taste, stirring to dissolve salt. Add fish and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain fish and pat dry inside and out with paper towels.

  2. 2.

    Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) 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.

  3. 3.

    Roast fish until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 135°F (57°C), about 20 to 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.

  4. 4.

    Gently remove fillets from bone cage, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Review: What to Do With an Instant-Read Thermometer
Review: Why Baking Sheets and Cooling Racks Belong in Every Kitchen
This Recipe Appears In
The Easiest Way to Cook Fish: Roast it Whole How to Carve and Serve Whole Cooked Fish

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Daniel Gritzer Culinary Director

Daniel cooked for years in some of New York's top American, Italian and French restaurants - starting at the age of 13, when he began staging at the legendary restaurant Chanterelle. He spent nearly a year working on organic farms in Europe, where he harvested almonds and Padron peppers in Spain, shepherded a flock of more than 200 sheep in Italy, and made charcuterie in France. When not working on, thinking about, cooking and eating food, he blows off steam (and calories) as an instructor of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art.

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