PicoBlog

Here’s the thing. Most whole fish will cook perfectly in 30 minutes.

I’m talking anything between 800 grams and up to 1.2 or 1.3 kg. There’s something about cooking fish on the bone that just cuts you the slack. It takes a certain amount of time for the heat to get through to the bone, while in the meantime, the skin is protecting the flesh from over-cooking.

Okay, so it’s marginally less time for a plate-sized 500 g fish, when you can start checking for doneness at 20 minutes.

HOW TO ROAST A WHOLE FISH

The two roasting methods I use the most for whole fish are Wet, and Dry.

Wet, is when I add a splash of wine or stock to the roasting pan, which creates steam, cooks the fish gently, keeps it moist and gives you juices. The flesh will generally be softer with this method, especially on the side resting on the pan.

Dry, is when I want the roasted skin to crisply encase the flesh. No additional moisture is added but for olive oil, and the fish is baked on a small rack that I’ve sprayed with olive oil. This not only crisps the skin of the top-side of the fish, it keeps the bottom-side out of any cooking juices so that it doesn’t get soggy.

HOW TO BUY A WHOLE FISH

It’s actually easier than buying fillets, because you can see what you are getting. Check the eyes, which should be bright and clear. The smell should be of the sea.  Very fresh fish will even be a little slimy - that’s a good thing.

Buy your fish from a good fishmonger and they’ll offer to scale and clean it for you. Say yes, and make sure they keep the head on.

What they won’t do is snip off the fins, so when you get home, use shears or a tough pair of scissors to snip off the fins (and with snapper, cut off the spikes that run along the spine).

Score the fish three times across the thickest part of the belly, to help it cook evenly, and stuff the cavity with good things such as garlic, rosemary, lemon and herbs.

A final tip: If your fish is slightly too big for the roasting pan and the tail is up against the rim, spray both tail and rim with olive oil to stop it from sticking.

HOW TO CHECK IF YOUR FISH IS COOKED

You’ll know soon enough if it’s under-cooked – try to move the flesh away from the bone with a knife. If it won’t budge, then give it another 5 minutes in the oven.

It’s almost impossible to over-cook a whole fish, if you check it at 30 minute mark.

The recipe here cooks the fish with tomatoes and potatoes and lemon and herbs and olive oil, which mingle like old friends and absorb the winey, lemony juices. Serve with a spoonful of aioli to pull it all together.

BAKED SNAPPER WITH POTATOES AND TOMATOES

• 1 whole snapper, around 1kg

• 500 g potatoes

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

• 2 sprigs rosemary, smashed

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 tomatoes, sliced

• 1 lemon, finely sliced

• 1 red onion, finely sliced

• Half a cup of white wine

Peel the spuds, cut in half, and cook in simmering salted water for 15 minutes – you want them almost cooked, and able to be sliced.

Drain well, and thickly slice.

Heat the oven to 200C.

Wipe the fish with dampened paper towel, then with dry paper towel, and lightly score the thickest part of the fish three times.

Line a roasting tray with baking paper and drizzle with olive oil. Place the snapper on top and pop the garlic and rosemary into the cavity. Slip a bay leaf into each of the scores.

Surround the fish with slices of potato, lemon, tomato, and red onion.

Add the white wine to the pan, drizzle fish and veg generously with olive oil, and scatter with sea salt, pepper and dried oregano.

Bake for 30 minutes. It’s done when you can easily move the flesh from the spine with the side of a knife.

HOW TO SERVE A WHOLE FISH

Serving a whole fish can rapidly degenerate into a nightmarish mess, so apply discipline right from the start.

1/ Cut through the flesh at the neck and the tail to release the fillet. Then move forensically along the dorsal (top) and stomach (bottom) edges, using the knife edge to push any bones away from the flesh.

2/ Run a knife right down the middle, following the spine of the fish carcass. Gently nudge each fillet off the fish, flipping it over. Clean them up, removing anything you stuffed inside the stomach. Use a cake slice or egg slice to transfer these first two fillets to a warm serving plate.

3/ Pick up the tail and gently lift it up, bringing the carcass with it, peeling it away from the fish. (I call this the ‘suffering succotash’ moment, in honour of Sylvester the cat and his love of fish bones). Set aside for picking clean later. Clean up the remaining fillets, trim off any bones, and arrange on the serving plate with the A-list fillets.

Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with sea salt and serve with lemon. And wine, don’t forget the wine.

Thanks for dropping by. And special thanks to Terry Durack for heading off to the fish market like the feudal hunter-gatherer he is.

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I fully support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. It’s about time, folks.

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