Whole Fish In Fennel Recipes

WHOLE ROAST FISH WITH LEMON AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°.
• Put the fish on a baking sheet (we put ours atop a baking rack). Make 3-4 crosswise slashes down to the bone on each side of the fish. Season both sides generously with kosher salt, rubbing salt into each of the slashes. Stuff each slash with 1/2 of a lemon slice and a couple sprigs of fennel. Stuff the cavity of the fish with remaining fennel and lemon slices.
• Rub both sides of the fish with olive oil and shower with the sea salt and black pepper.
• Roast for 20 minutes or until the flesh is 145ºF.
• (adapted from the Gjelina cookbook)
• Combine everything but the vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for flavors to meld, about 15 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in the vinegar and then spoon over the fish.

WHOLE ROASTED FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add julienned fennel, shallots, and half the garlic. Cook, covered, until just tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fennel mixture to a bowl, reserving oil in pan; season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley; set aside.
• Place fish in an oiled shallow baking dish large enough to hold fish. Spread fish open, and transfer fennel mixture to center of fish. Sprinkle with lime juice, and close fish. Tie together crosswise in 2 or 3 places using kitchen twine.
• Season fish with salt and pepper; rub with remaining garlic. Pour reserved oil over fish; cover with fennel stalks and fronds. Pour in white wine.
• Bake fish, basting often with juices from pan, until flesh is opaque and flakes slightly, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Remove strings. Transfer to a large serving platter; garnish with watercress. Serve immediately.

FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut lime in half; cut four slices from one half for garnish. Finely grate enough peel from remaining half to measure 3/4 teaspoon; squeeze juice from lime half. Set aside., In a dry small skillet over medium heat, toast fennel seeds until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Cool. Crush seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle., In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add sliced fennel and salt; cover and boil for 6-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and pat dry., In a large nonstick skillet, saute fennel in 2 teaspoons oil for 3 minutes or until fennel is lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the pan and set aside. , In the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook fillets in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. , Drizzle with lime juice; sprinkle with lime peel and crushed fennel seeds. Serve with sauteed fennel. Garnish with fennel fronds and lime slices.,

WHOLE FISH IN FENNEL

Steps:

• Slice stems and fronds from fennel bulbs and lay on a work surface.
• Rub fish inside and out with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tuck some fennel stems in fish cavity. Cover fish with remaining fennel stems and fronds. Use butcher's cord to tie fennel to fish, enclosing it. Rub fennel with another tablespoon olive oil. Trim fennel bulbs and slice 1/2-inch thick.
• Heat grill to very hot and oil grates. Place fish in fennel on grill, preferably at least 8 inches from coals or fire. Grill about 15 minutes on one side. Fennel will char.
• While fish grills, place sliced bulbs in a saucepan of boiling, salted water and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain well on paper towel.
• Turn fish and grill about 15 minutes on other side, or until flesh in cavity looks opaque and can easily be separated from the bone when poked with a knife. Remove to a platter and snip off cords.
• Rub fennel slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place on grill. Sear on each side. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the juice of 1/2 lemon. Bone fish and serve, with lemon wedges, additional oil for drizzling and seared fennel alongside.

WHOLE STUFFED ROAST FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the fennel and onion in a large roasting tin and toss with 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and plenty of seasoning. Roast for 20 mins until almost tender and starting to caramelise. Meanwhile, put the couscous in a medium bowl. Mix the saffron and hot stock, pour over the couscous and cover with cling film.
• Rinse the fish with cold water inside and out, then pat dry. Slash deeply on both sides and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of the lemon zest. After 10 mins soaking, fluff up the couscous with a fork and add 2 tbsp lemon juice, the remaining zest, the dill, 1 tbsp pine nuts and seasoning to taste. Stuff the couscous into the cavity of each fish, reserving any leftover couscous for later.
• Stir the tomatoes and currants into the tin. Sit the fish on top and roast for about 30 mins, depending on its size. Look for juices running from the slashes in the flesh. Tug gently on the back fin - if it comes away easily, the fish is cooked.
• 4 Scatter with the rest of the pine nuts, then serve from the tin, with lemon wedges for squeezing over. Serve one stuffed fish per person, or if you have cooked large fish, gently lift the fillets from the top of the fish first, then turn over and repeat. Share out the couscous stuffing and leftover couscous.

FILIPINO WHOLE GRILLED FISH WITH TOMATO-ONION SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to 400˚ F to 450˚ F: For a gas grill, preheat to high; for charcoal, heat enough coals for medium-high heat, layering the coals at least halfway to the cooking grate. Trim the top and side fins of the fish using kitchen scissors. Score the skin on both sides with 3 or 4 long diagonal slits. Pat dry with paper towels and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the salsa: Stir together the tomatoes, red onion, scallions, fish sauce and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup in a separate bowl.
• Season the cavity of each fish with salt and pepper, then evenly stuff with the reserved 1/2 cup salsa. Use a metal skewer to pin the cavity shut. Brush the outside of the fish with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the fish, turning once, until cooked through and the skin is slightly charred, 12 to 15 minutes per side. If the skin sticks a bit, carefully loosen with a metal spatula.
• Transfer the fish to a platter and let rest 10 minutes. Stir the lime juice into the remaining salsa. Spoon some of the salsa over the fish; serve the rest on the side.

ROASTED WHOLE FISH AND FENNEL WITH CRUSHED POTATOES, PERSERVED LEMON, AND CHARMOULA

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, chopped cilantro, and lime juice in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
• Cut 2-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slits into outside of both sides of fish, spacing 2 inches apart. Sprinkle fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Place parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, fennel fronds, and lemon slices in fish cavity. Sprinkle top side of fish with chopped parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Do ahead Lime yogurt and fish can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir fennel seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Mix fennel wedges, 2 tablespoons olive oil, toasted fennel seeds, and 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme on rimmed baking sheet; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until fennel is tender and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 400°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Place potatoes in large saucepan; fill with enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer just until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Transfer potatoes to baking sheet and cool slightly. Using heel of hand, smash potatoes coarsely. Return potatoes to same saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and preserved lemon. Do ahead Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over fish. Roast fish just until opaque in center, about 30 minutes. Let fish rest 5 minutes.
• Add 1/4 cup reserved potato cooking liquid to potato mixture; stir gently over medium heat until heated through, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using 2 large metal spatulas, transfer fish to platter. Arrange fennel and potato mixture around. Spoon some Charmoula , then some lime yogurt atop fish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve with remaining Charmoula and lime yogurt.