Question: How to cook the tastiest whole fish
By: Laura Durham
Published: November 13, 2010

I'm cooking a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner and need to know how to cook a whole fish, preferably on the barbecue, and what seasoning would be nice.

Answers:
Chris Paulk

It depends on what fish you are cooking. Salmon would be different than halibut or trout.
For trout-(works with other medium white fish) I clean and gut it. (I like the head removed and the fins) I fill the cavity with shaved fennel, lemon slices, tarragon and drizzle it with a mixture of chopped garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. I secure it with a long skewer and grill it.
For salmon, I would fillet it and brush it with a honey miso glaze or a mustard and brown sugar glaze. You can also serve it with a dill sauce.
HGourmet_Foodie

I have once grilled a whole Red Snapper, It came out really delicious. If you are looking for something non traditional, here's the recipe for marinade. 4 Tbsp. oyster sauce 4 Tbsp. soy sauce 8-10 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1 Tbsp. fish sauce 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice Drizzle the marinade/sauce over fish, covering both sides. Grill fish for 10-20 minutes .If barbecuing directly on the grill, allow fish to cook for at least 5 minutes before turning it.
Patricia Turo

I most often cook whole fish as the flavor of the fish comes through better with the bones and head left on. You can clean out the innards, salt and pepper the inside and outside and stuff it will orange segments, orange peel and fresh stems of fennel.  Either tie it to hold the stuffing in and then grill it or put it in foil or parchment paper and put it on the grill. Make a fennel and orange segment salad, using olive oil and lemon juice as a dressing. Or you can cut the fennel bulbs in half and par boil them and then bake them in the oven with grated Parmesan cheese on the top until the cheese turns golden brown. Fennel is a great compliment to the fish.
Another way is to completely cover it in sea salt (recipes can be found on the internet, but it is easy). This method is very popular in Italy and France and does not make the fish salty but rather brings out the flavor and it is nice and juicy.