Whole Baked Fish

Learn how to make an Incredibly flavorful Whole Baked fish, that’s amazingly juicy, flaky and tender on the inside, and deliciously crispy and seasoned on the outside. It’s also ridiculously easy to roast a whole fish in the oven!

Whole Baked Fish

Roasting whole fish can seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple to do! If you buy the whole fish already gutted and scaled, all that’s left for you to do is adding delicious flavors and baking to perfection.

What Kind of Fish is Best for Roasting?

I would recommend any white-fleshed fish, such as mahi mahi, branzino, red snapper, sea bass or sea bream. Since moving to the UAE, we’ve been eating lots of fish. Sea Bream is what I used in this recipe, which a very popular kind of fish along with see bass in this region.

The Easiest Roasted Whole Fish Ingredients:

For this simple roasted whole white fish, you’ll need:

• Whole White Fish. 2 large fishes, mine were around 2 lbs/fish. Make sure you buy your whole fish already scaled and cleaned (meaning no guts).
• Olive Oil.  For brushing the fish.
• Lemon: I used about one whole lemon — half for slicing and using while baking, and half for squeezing on the outside for serving. You will need another half a lemon if you like scrub the fish with lemon while cleaning it too.
• Fresh Herbs:  You don’t have to add any herbs, but if you’d like you can add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme for stuffing the inside of the fish.
• Salt and Pepper: Fresh ground black pepper and salt. You will need a bunch of salt!

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR WHOLE FISH FOR BAKING:

Roasting whole fish is easy. I buy mine already cleaned and scaled.

• Line a baking sheet with an aluminum foil or baking sheet and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
• I give my fish and extra rinse at home and scrub it with Lemon halves. Then gently pat dry with a paper towel and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
• Score your whole by cutting about 3-4 slits on the scale of the fish lightly, so it can soak up the marinade.
• Brush the fish with olive oil on both sides.
• Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper on the outside and inside.
• Stuff the opening of the fish with lemon slices and your choice or herb. If you use herbs, make sure its stuffed and covered deep inside the cavity to avoid it from getting burned.

And that’s it! Your whole Sea Bream is ready to go.

HOW TO COOK A WHOLE FISH IN THE OVEN:

• Preheat oven to 450 F (yes, it’s better to bake on high heat) for about 30 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork. The internal temperature of fish needs to be 145 F to be fully cooked, in case you decide to measure.
• Transfer to a serving plate.
• Squeeze with extra fresh lemon juice.
• Serve immediately, work around the bones and enjoy!

HOW TO CHOOSE FRESH WHOLE FISH:

• Eyes: The eyes should be bright, shiny and full.
• Scales and skin: The fresher the fish, the brighter and more metallic the skin. If you decide to touch, the skin should be nice and firm, rather than soft and squishy.
• Smell: Good fish will smell clean and fresh, perhaps a little briny, like the ocean.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH WHOLE BAKED FISH:

Fattoush Salad

Tabbouleh Salad

Tahini Dressing

Homemade Hummus

Tearing into a whole baked fish at the dinner table is so fun! There’s something primal about it, I really like.

If you’ve tried this Sea Bream- Whole Baked Fish recipe or any other recipe on The Salt and Sweet Kitchen, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it! 

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