The Glory of Whole Roasted Fish

Despite everything I wrote in my post Confessions of a Reluctant Omnivore, I have been experimenting with a restricted diet for several weeks. It's sort of a lent thing, sort of an ecological footprint thing, and sort of a getting back to my roots (literally roots, tubers, rhizomes and such) thing. I've been mostly vegetarian since the end of February. The most notable exception being my St. Patrick's Day corned beef which I brined at home, but more on that later. My commitment has been to avoid the flesh of terrestrial omnivores, just temporarily, to keep things fresh and give myself time to rethink ethical omnivory. You see, I was getting lazy. I was falling into that common trap of ex-vegetarians: start with the feel-good meats and slowly slip back into eating absolutely anything, any time, without really trying. So, I've countered that with the delicate anti-laziness that is seafood cookery. Yes I said no to terrestrial vertebrates, that means fishes and snails are fair game. The best way to eat fresh fish, apart from raw and with sticky rice, is whole and roasted on the bone.

The other day I got a beautiful whole red snapper, gutted, but intact. This is a great specimen for such a rustic and tasty meal. Red snapper is not only full of flavor, but it is usually just the right size for a skillet and two hungry people. I take some inspiration here from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. After figuring out how to scrape the scales off using the back of my knife, and hacking the fins like a clumsy oaf, I rubbed the fish with salt and pepper and set it aside. I filled a hot skillet with fresh veggies such as fennel bulb, carrot, onion, and potato. Then I added some wine, brought it a a simmer, tossed the fish on top, and shoved the thing in a 250 degree (F) oven. The reason for the low temp is to keep everything moist. 20 minutes or so in there was enough to make the fish flake right off the bones when handled but still VERY juicy.

The whole point of this process is that it is very very delicious and very very easy. As long as you're willing to dig in with your fingers and work around the precious little fish skeleton, eating whole fish is a fabulous experience. Plus, it's cheaper by the pound than all those boneless pre-cut fillets everyone sells.

I am VERY concerned with the ecological impact of commercial fishing and have just signed up for newsletters from the Blue Ocean Institute. They are doing some very good work and are giving away free pocket-sized guides to selecting sustainable seafood products.

I have been hosting a Fresh Fish Friday dinner at my house each week and trying something new every time. This has been a really tasty and exciting challenge so I will continue to post on the topic.