Whole Roast Fish with Lemon and Fennel

This is a whole chilipepper rock fish we ordered from Water 2 Table. Took it out of the cooler bag, slashed a few cuts in each side and threw it in a 450ºF oven for 20 minutes. Winner, winner, whole fish dinner!

Is it that easy? Yes. A few more steps required (see below), but cooking a whole fish is pretty much foolproof assuming you pay attention to the time and temperature. And you don’t need expert table-side filleting techniques or sharp knives. We just take a fork and knife and kind of pull of chunks of meat as we go. By the time dinner is done all that you’re left with is the head, bones, and tail.

Speaking of bones, that’s the big advantage of cooking a whole fish versus filets or steaks. You’ve heard of nose-to-tail cooking? This is the seafood version. Bones release flavorful juices as they cook, keeping the flesh moist, and you get the added bonus of having the main ingredient for fish fumé, the French version fish stock.