Grilled Whole Fish

Name: Grilled Whole Fish (Poisson Entier Grillé)
Yield: Makes 4 main-course servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass, red snapper, grouper, blackfish, striped bass, or rockfish, scaled (scaling optional; see “Grilling Whole Fish,”), gutted (about 5 pounds [2.3 kg] total weight); 1 large handful fennel stalks, dried by being left in a loose pile in a dry place for a couple of weeks or more (optional); olive oil; coarse salt; lemon wedges (optional); balsamic vinegar (optional); freshly ground pepper

Poisson Entier Grillé

Preparation info

Makes
4
main-course servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

About

Ingredients

4,2, or 1 whole fish such as Mediterranean sea bass (loup de mer, branzino), Mediterranean sea bream (daurade), Atlantic sea bass</

Europe
France
Fish course
Pescatarian
Mediterranean
Gluten-free

Method

Build a hot charcoal fire in a barbecue or pit large enough to hold the fish.

If you decide to grill the fish without its scales, have it scaled at the fish store. If you have to scale the fish yourself, see “Scaling,”. If you have to gut the fish yourself, do it after the fish has been scaled.

Rub the fish with olive oil and roll it in coarse