Can we cook a whole fish?

Despite the fact that I don’t like things with bones (thanks for sharing that with everyone, Frank), I manned up over the weekend so we could attempt to cook a whole fish. And I’m happy to say it wasn’t half bad.

We decided this first effort should be undertaken with rockfish–or striped bass, as it’s called outside the Mid-Atlantic area–because it’s one of Frank’s favorites. And who doesn’t like a local specialty?

Thankfully, the selection at the Fish Market looked good. Frank took the fish in to a little stand to be cleaned; it’s cheaper than you think–only 90 cents for our 2 lb. fella. (Let the record show that a skiddish Katie waited oh-so-patiently outside.)

We didn’t follow a recipe, because it seemed simple enough: Salt and pepper the fish, inside and out …

… and stuff it with the appropriate goodies (in this case, garlic, lemon, parsley and thyme).

We grilled it on both sides over direct heat …

… and let it hang out for bit on the cooler half of the grill while we cooked the zucchini.

It sounded like a no-fail plan, and it didn’t fail per se, but I was disappointed that the “stuffing” didn’t have a bigger impact on the flavor. Anyone have suggestions on that? From the reading I’ve done, the only partial solution I’ve come up with is to cook the fish covered instead of with the open air. I also read a recipe for herb-stuffed grilled fish–but it was wrapped in bacon, and when it comes to flavor, that’s cheating, my friend. Like I say, I wouldn’t call this a Foodventure Fail by any means; I am interested, however, in how we can make it better for next time. Please post a comment with your own experiences cooking whole fish.

Oh, and the zucchini–brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper–was amazing!

View a photostream of all the photos from our Foodventure, or watch the slideshow below:

Related posts:

1. Chesapeake Cioppino
2. Leftover Monday: Cod with Lemon Butter Sauce

• By Daniel "Chops" Ambord, June 9, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

  As far as the “stuffing” not having a larger impact on the flavor of the fish, could the issue have been with the sort of fish you selected? Some just have stronger flavors than others, and differences in texture will likewise influence the degree to which a given sort of fish is capable of “taking” flavor from seasoning. That is why Cod, for instance, can be made to taste like just about whatever you’d like while Salmon maintains a fairly distinctive flavor even when accompanied by very heavy seasoning. I have no experience with the sort of fish you used but figured I would float (pun intended) the suggestion anyway.

• By Katie Favazza, June 9, 2009 @ 5:33 pm

  Very interesting. It’s worth pointing out that rockfish is a lot more like cod than salmon, and I would think it would pick up flavor much like a cod.

  Perhaps the rockfish should have just been left alone? It was tasty and might not have needed the flavor-help we provided.

  … which begs the question: What kind of fish should be stuffed with herbs, lemon, garlic, etc.?

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