Roasted Whole Fish with Potatoes

Sharing is caring!

Once you try baking a whole fish in the oven, you will never turn back; it is that easy. You get less washing, less fat, almost no smell around the house. Come, follow me and start with this Roasted Whole Fish with a bonus side of potatoes with garlic and onions!

Tips to Buying Fish

I would have liked to make a list like the following, but nowadays finding a fishmonger is not always possible. If you have a fishmonger you are lucky, then you can use these tips to buy fresh fish:

• Buy in-season fish. Otherwise, you are doomed to be buying frozen fish or fish that has been travelling days to reach the stall. Make a quick search on the web to find what’s in season in your area.
• Touch the fish. If you poke it, you will see that if the fish is stiff and the dent you make – if any – comes back up instantly. However if not, the fish will be soggy, keep away in this case.
• Look at the eyes of the fish. The eyes of a fresh fish are bright, convex and lively. Whereas old or spoiled fish will have dull, sunken and blurry eyes.
• Check the fish gills. Actually, you will probably not need to check if the fish is fresh the fishmonger will proudly display them anyway. The fish gills will be bright red when fresh and will be turning brown if not.
• Check the scales. Scales of fresh fish are bright and shiny and difficult to hatch. On the other hand, if the fish is old the scales will come off easily and they are dull.
• Check the smell and the blood. Fresh fish is almost odorless, its blood is light-colored. Stale fish has an acidic odor and its blood is close to black.

When you are ordering fish online try to find a seller selling sustainable fish from local fisherman selling and delivering the daily catch.

Ways to cook whole fish in the oven

There are several ways you can cook a whole fish in the oven.

• Roasting this method is the most common way. You can play around with the seasonings such as adding different herbs, spices and sauces.
• Wrapped in oven paper. In this method wrap the fish tightly with all its seasoning and other ingredients such as potatoes, lemon and herbs. The fish will be cooked in its own steam.
• Grilling in the oven, is perhaps the easiest way, grease the grill trays of the oven,
• Cooking in the oven in a casserole will be a juicy stew-like dish. Place all the ingredients such as shrimps, mushrooms, potatoes and tomatoes and the bottom of the dish and the fish on the top.

How to roast a whole fish?

Well, you have bought the fish, check alternatives ways to cook and decided on the roasting option. Here is what to do next:

• Rinse the fish under flowing cold water. Make sure to wash also the inside thoroughly, just open the body while washing and make sure all the entrails are already removed.
• Clean the scales if you notice there are some while washing. Scrape off using the sides of a spoon. Rinse again.
• I do not cut the fish top as might be advised elsewhere. When you cut the fish all the juices come out and we do not want this.
• Prepare a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli pepper and thyme. Mix and spread this mixture all around the fish including the cavity.
• Stuff the cavity with a sprig of parsley and half a garlic clove and a few slices of onion.
• There, the fish is ready for the oven.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 230° Celsius (450° F) with top and bottom heating.
• Bake until crispy and bubbly. Check internal heat to reach 63° Celsius (145° F)
• Serve with sides, a salad and lemon wedges.

If you have liked this recipe perhaps you might want to try frying small whole fish in the oven next time with this Crispy Corn Flour Coated Anchovy In The Oven recipe.

Print Pin

Roasted Whole Fish with Potato, Onion and Garlic Recipe

Once you try baking a whole fish in the oven, you will never turn back, it is that easy.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 334kcal

Ingredients

Whole Fish

• 4 whole sea bass
• 2 onions sliced
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50 millilitres olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon's juice about ½ lemon

Potato, Onion, Garlic Side

• 3 potatoes peeled and sliced
• 3 onions peeled and sliced
• 6 garlic cloves peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt to taste

Instructions

Roasted Fish

• Rinse and clean the fish as described in the post.
• Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, chilli pepper and half a lemon's juice in a bowl.
• Spread the mixture all around the fish, including the cavity with an egg brush.
• Stuff each fish cavity with a parsley spring and a garlic clove and several slices of onion.
• Place the fish in a single layer in an oven-proof tray.
• Roast in a preheated oven at 230°Celsius (440° F) for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.
• Measure the internal heat of the fish to reach 63°Celsius (145° F). If not available see that the fish is crispy and bubbly on the outside and flakey and white on the inside.

Potato, Onion, Garlic Side

• Prepare the potato, onion and garlic. Rinse, peel and slice all of them.
• Then mix and coat with the seasonings, except for salt.
• Cook until potatoes are crispy and done. Check, tasting one.
• Start baking in a sheeted oven tray 10 minutes before placing the fish in the oven in a separate tray.
• Season with salt to taste and serve.

Notes

Mackerel, sea bass, bonito, sea bream and red mullet are good choices for roasting whole fish in the oven. Pictures show sea bass. 

Do not cover the fish when in the oven. The time required will depend on the size and the weight of the fish plus the performance of the oven. Roughly the rule is to bake for 10 minutes if the fish is 2.5 cm (1 inch)  thick and 20 minutes if 5 cm (2 inches) thick. 

When eating make sure to watch out for fish bones, some fish might have more than others. Generally they are on the sides, the one in the middle easy to locate. Also consider munching the tail and the neck and cheeks on the head.

Interested in more recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.