Best 7 Baked Whole Fish Recipes

BAKED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Soak the fish in cold, salted water for 15-30 minutes; drain and dry slightly.
• Preheat oven to 400.
• Season cavity with lemon slices, celery, onion, salt, and pepper and 2 TBS lemon juice.
• Close the fish and place bacon strips on top or around fish.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt and remainder of lemon juice.
• Cover with pats of butter and bake until flesh is white and flakes apart with fork (about 30 minutes for a 2 1/2 pound fish or 40-45 minutes for a 3 pounder).
• the fish may be broiled at the end to brown the bacon.
• Cut into 1 1/2 inch wide sections and serve with lemon wedges.
• Serves 2-4, depending on size of fish.
• Note: Other vegetables such as potatoes and tomatoes may be cooked with the fish if desired.

WHOLE BAKED FISH WITH CILANTRO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Drizzle a large oven-safe pan with oil.
• Rinse trout and pat dry with a paper towel. Place on a flat work surface. Cut trout from one side through the middle horizontally to within one-half inch of the other side. Open the two sides and spread them out like an open book; lay onto the prepared pan.
• Place tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until chopped fine but not pureed. Pour 1/2 the mixture on top of 1/2 of the trout; fold the other side of trout on top. Spoon the remaining 1/2 of the mixture on and around the sealed trout. Add water to the pan; arrange potatoes around the trout. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until trout flakes easily with a fork, about 45 minutes.

BAKED WHOLE FISH IN GARLIC-CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, OR warm up your barbecue/grill. Stir all marinade/sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. Place fish on a cutting board and score it by making vertical cuts an inch or more apart along the length of fish from head to tail. Turn fish over and do the same on the other side. If Grilling the Fish: See below. For Baked Fish: Place fish on a large piece of tin foil or banana leaf. Make sure the foil or leaf is big enough to cover/wrap the fish. (For more information on banana leaf, see my: All About Cooking With Banana Leaves.) Drizzle 3 Tbsp. (or more) of the marinade/sauce over each fish, covering both sides. Be sure to spoon some into the cuts you've made, as well as into the underside cavity. Reserve the rest for later. Bring the long sides of the foil up and over the fish, scrunching it together. Try to keep the foil off the surface of the fish, making a kind of shallow tent over it. Also fold up each end and scrunch to secure. If using banana leaf: Simply fold the sides and ends of the leaf over fish to cover it. With banana leaf, you actually want the leaf to come into contact with the fish, as this adds to the flavor. Bake the fish (in foil) directly on your oven rack. Or - if you're worried about spillage, place wrapped fish on a baking sheet or tray and place in the oven. Fish wrapped in banana leaf will require a dish or tray, as banana leaf is permeable. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or longer, depending on the size and thickness of your fish. Remove fish from oven and check some of the deeper cuts to see if inner flesh is cooked (it should be opaque, not pink or translucent-looking). If fish still needs more time, return to your oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until cooked. To finish the fish, remove from oven and open up the foil, scrunching it around the fish to create a kind of bowl (see photo). For banana leaf, simply open up the leaf, which will have become drier and slightly crispy.

WHOLE BAKED FISH, MOROCCAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Reserving a few sprigs of coriander for garnishing, combine all the ingredients except the fish in an electric blender and mix until smooth. With a sharp knife, make three slashes in the skin. Smear the mixture in the fish cavity and over the skin. Leave to marinate at room temperature for about 2 hours.
• Broil the fish for about 10 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the fish, or until cooked. Arrange on a serving platter, garnish with coriander and lemon slices.

BAKED WHOLE FISH WITH POTATOES AND LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Put potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease parchment with 1 tablespoon oil. Layer potato slices evenly on parchment; season with salt and pepper. (If using a smaller fish, such as branzino, par-cook the potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes now.) Arrange half of the lemon slices over potatoes and sprinkle with parsley.
• Set fish over potatoes and rub with 2 tablespoons oil; season skin and cavity with salt and pepper. Top with remaining lemon slices and arrange bay leaves over fish. Drizzle with remaining oil. Bake until fish is just cooked through, 40-60 minutes (depending on size). Using a butter knife or metal spatula, flake flesh off the bone and serve immediately.

LEMON AND PARSLEY WHOLE BAKED FISH

Steps:

• Heat your oven to 180c.
• Score the fish through the thicker parts a few times on each side; stuff the garlic slivers into the slits.
• Mix together the parsley, preserved lemon, pinenuts, salt and pepper, then add in the oil to make a paste.
• Smear this paste inside and on the outside of the fish.
• Wrap the fish in a foil parcel and bake in the oven about 30 minutes or until done to 65c. Remove from the oven and allow to rest wrapped in the foil about 5 minutes.
• Serve with the juices spooned over.

WHOLE BAKED FISH CUBAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Rinse the fish well under cold running water and pat dry on both sides as well as inside the cavity. Make several slits about 1/3-inch deep on both sides of the fish. Place the fish in a non-reactive shallow dish or platter and pour the lime juice over the fish. Set aside while you continue with the preparations.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Rub the bottom of a shallow glass or ceramic dish large enough to hold the fish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Saute 1/2 of the onion slices and 1/2 of the pepper slices in 2 tablespoons olive oil and then place along the bottom of the baking dish. Tear 2 of the bay leaves into small pieces and sprinkle over the vegetables. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons more of the remaining Spanish olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, to taste, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the fish on top of the sliced vegetables.
• Using a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, kosher salt and oregano and mash to form a paste. Spread the garlic paste inside the cavity of the fish and into the slits on top. Place the remaining bay leaf inside the cavity of the fish. In the same small bowl that you used to make the garlic paste, combine the tomato puree and vinegar and stir to combine. Pour this tomato mixture all over the fish. Top with the remaining onion and pepper slices and drizzle the remaining olive oil and the wine over the top. Season again with salt and black pepper, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, and bake until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork, 45 to 50 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve hot or warm, with the pan juices drizzled over all.