Whole(y) Fish!
It’s summer in San Diego, but it’s not just any summer…it’s one of the hottest summers on record. Heat waves, humidity, and (gasp!) bugs; what gives?!?!?! I absolutely fell in love with San Diego’s moderate climate so this has me all thrown off; I mean when did I wake up in muggy Florida?
All this hot weather got me thinking about light, bright, and oven free dishes; I have no use in heating up the house any further, right? I find myself leaning towards seafood meals when temperatures are on the rise. Seafood is a great source of protein, is so nutritious, and pairs well with hot summer nights (and summer whites, but more on the wine later).
We headed to Catalina Offshore Products (where else) to see what was fresh. I kept leaning towards the whole fish since it’s something I don’t usually prepare and wanted to try my hand at. We finally settled on a whole pink grouper because it looked wonderful and was on special as well. The fish itself was so pretty; I know it’s weird to call a fish pretty, but it really was. I realize some folks tend to shy away from cooking or eating whole fish because well, it looks like a fish, but to me it’s a thing of beauty. We asked the fish monger to butterfly the grouper so it was ready to go once we got home. For those of you that haven’t been to Catalina Offshore yet you have to check them out; seriously the best in San Diego for fresh sustainable fish and a huge variety too! I’ve linked their website below.
So with the fish in hand my mind went to work on how to dress and cook it. I really wanted the flavor of the fish to come through and didn’t want to mask it with a heavy sauce so I settled on a very simple dressing of fresh herbs, lemons, salt and pepper, and olive oil. I drizzled olive oil inside the cavity of the fish and filled it with some roughly chopped herbs, lemon slices, and salt and pepper. I threw the entire fish on the grill and cooked it for about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Once it came off the grill I placed a half on each plate, squeezed some fresh lemon juice to the top, and served it.
Oh how simple yet delicious this turned out. In all honestly though, I don’t think I can take all the credit for the success of this dish. I really was just along for the ride, the grouper was the real star here. So get brave, take some risks, and try your hand at a whole fish; you won’t regret it and maybe you won’t pass out when you see that electric bill this month (hopefully!).
Ingredients:
1 whole fish (we used grouper but trout, red snapper, or any other light white fish will work)
1 bunch of parsley coarsely chopped
1 bunch of dill left whole
1 lemon sliced thin
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Optional butter dressing – Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over the stove or in the microwave, mix in about 1-2 tablespoons of chopped dill. This can be poured over the fish or used as a dipping sauce
Wine to pair?
I definitely would go with a white wine for this dish. The wine needed to be something fresh with some pop since the fish was so simple. I’m usually not a huge fan of Sauvignon Blanc (I don’t get that obsession with the grassiness of it), but this is a great wine to pair with this dish as is Semillon, but sometimes that grape is hard to find in some areas. There are definitely some Savs that don’t lend towards grassy notes which I do love and usually buy in bulk when I find them. The wine I paired for this was Emerald Hare Sauvignon Blanc California 2016 (link below) and it was just perfect! So cheers and try to stay cool friends.
