Whole Salmon Slashed And Stuffed With Basil Butter Recipes

WHOLE SALMON "SLASHED AND STUFFED" WITH BASIL BUTTER

Steps:

• Begin by preheating a large outdoor grill. Using a paper towel folded in 4, wipe down the grill with olive oil to clean it and also create a nonstick surface.
• Prepare the compound butter by roughly chopping 1/2 the basil leaves and adding it along with the butter and salt and pepper, to taste, to a food processor. Pulse until fully combined and creamy.
• Using a chef's knife, make slits in each side of the fish, place a few slices of lemon and basil in each of the slits. Stuff the remaining herbs and lemon inside of the fish and head. Paint the whole fish with the basil butter and refrigerate the remaining butter to serve with the finished fish. Carefully place the fish on the grill and grill for 10 to 12 minutes until it lifts off easily - use 2 large spatulas. Turn the fish over and grill for 10 minutes more.
• Serve on a large platter family style and dot with the remaining basil butter. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh basil leaves. Serve with lemon wedges.

WHOLE SALMON ON THE GRILL WITH FENNEL, LEMON, AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Fire up the grill, with the coals lined up under the fish for direct grilling.
• Sprinkle sea salt generously in the cavity of the fish and over the skin, then stuff it with the onions, lemons, fronds, and herb sprigs. Tie butcher string around the fish in three or four places to hold the stuffing in. In between the string, make deep incisions with your knife through the thickest part of the fish on both sides, all the way down to the spine. (The fish will cook more quickly, and the smoke flavor will get inside the fish better.) Brush both the fish and the grill lightly with oil, dust the salmon skin on both sides lightly with flour, and place the salmon on the grill.
• Grill over medium-hot direct heat, with the cover on and the vents open. When the skin is browned on 1 side, use 2 large metal spatulas to loosen the salmon from the grate and carefully turn over. Continue cooking until just cooked through and an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish registers 135 degrees F to 140 degrees F, about 35 to 40 minutes total cooking time. Remove the fish from the grill and place it on a large platter. Allow the fish to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the butcher string and serve.