Whole Roasted Fish With Fennel Food

FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut lime in half; cut four slices from one half for garnish. Finely grate enough peel from remaining half to measure 3/4 teaspoon; squeeze juice from lime half. Set aside., In a dry small skillet over medium heat, toast fennel seeds until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Cool. Crush seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle., In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add sliced fennel and salt; cover and boil for 6-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and pat dry., In a large nonstick skillet, saute fennel in 2 teaspoons oil for 3 minutes or until fennel is lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the pan and set aside. , In the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook fillets in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. , Drizzle with lime juice; sprinkle with lime peel and crushed fennel seeds. Serve with sauteed fennel. Garnish with fennel fronds and lime slices.,

WHOLE STUFFED ROAST FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the fennel and onion in a large roasting tin and toss with 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and plenty of seasoning. Roast for 20 mins until almost tender and starting to caramelise. Meanwhile, put the couscous in a medium bowl. Mix the saffron and hot stock, pour over the couscous and cover with cling film.
• Rinse the fish with cold water inside and out, then pat dry. Slash deeply on both sides and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of the lemon zest. After 10 mins soaking, fluff up the couscous with a fork and add 2 tbsp lemon juice, the remaining zest, the dill, 1 tbsp pine nuts and seasoning to taste. Stuff the couscous into the cavity of each fish, reserving any leftover couscous for later.
• Stir the tomatoes and currants into the tin. Sit the fish on top and roast for about 30 mins, depending on its size. Look for juices running from the slashes in the flesh. Tug gently on the back fin - if it comes away easily, the fish is cooked.
• 4 Scatter with the rest of the pine nuts, then serve from the tin, with lemon wedges for squeezing over. Serve one stuffed fish per person, or if you have cooked large fish, gently lift the fillets from the top of the fish first, then turn over and repeat. Share out the couscous stuffing and leftover couscous.

WHOLE FISH IN FENNEL

Steps:

• Slice stems and fronds from fennel bulbs and lay on a work surface.
• Rub fish inside and out with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tuck some fennel stems in fish cavity. Cover fish with remaining fennel stems and fronds. Use butcher's cord to tie fennel to fish, enclosing it. Rub fennel with another tablespoon olive oil. Trim fennel bulbs and slice 1/2-inch thick.
• Heat grill to very hot and oil grates. Place fish in fennel on grill, preferably at least 8 inches from coals or fire. Grill about 15 minutes on one side. Fennel will char.
• While fish grills, place sliced bulbs in a saucepan of boiling, salted water and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain well on paper towel.
• Turn fish and grill about 15 minutes on other side, or until flesh in cavity looks opaque and can easily be separated from the bone when poked with a knife. Remove to a platter and snip off cords.
• Rub fennel slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place on grill. Sear on each side. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the juice of 1/2 lemon. Bone fish and serve, with lemon wedges, additional oil for drizzling and seared fennel alongside.

WHOLE ROAST FISH WITH LEMON AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°.
• Put the fish on a baking sheet (we put ours atop a baking rack). Make 3-4 crosswise slashes down to the bone on each side of the fish. Season both sides generously with kosher salt, rubbing salt into each of the slashes. Stuff each slash with 1/2 of a lemon slice and a couple sprigs of fennel. Stuff the cavity of the fish with remaining fennel and lemon slices.
• Rub both sides of the fish with olive oil and shower with the sea salt and black pepper.
• Roast for 20 minutes or until the flesh is 145ºF.
• (adapted from the Gjelina cookbook)
• Combine everything but the vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for flavors to meld, about 15 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in the vinegar and then spoon over the fish.

WHOLE ROASTED SALMON STUFFED WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to full whack.
• Get yourself a large roasting tray that your whole salmon will fit inside - you'll probably need to lay the fish diagonally across the tray, like I've done in the picture -it won't matter if the head and tail drape over the sides a little.
• Scrub the potatoes clean, then slice into ½ cm rounds. Lay them over the base of the tray and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Cut the fennel into six wedges, scatter over the potatoes and give it all a generous drizzle of olive oil.
• Pick half the herb leaves onto a chopping board, .finely grate over the lemon zest, then roughly chop everything together. Scrape this mixture into a bowl.
• Using a sharp knife, make 6 slashes on each side of the fish, about 2cm deep and at an angle.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper into each incision, stuff each with a pinch of the lemon-herb mix, then smooth flat. Drizzle the fish lightly with olive oil, then lay on top of the potatoes and fennel.
• Slice up one of the lemons, then stuff into the cavity with the remaining herbs.
• Bake the fish in the screaming hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and cook for a further 30 minutes.
• To check if the fish is cooked, take a clean skewer and push it into the deepest part of the fish, just behind the head. Count to 10, then carefully take the skewer out and hold it against your top lip -if it's nice and warm, the fish is cooked.
• Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon over the top, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.. Delicious served with a bowl of steamed seasonal greens.

WHOLE ROASTED FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add julienned fennel, shallots, and half the garlic. Cook, covered, until just tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fennel mixture to a bowl, reserving oil in pan; season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley; set aside.
• Place fish in an oiled shallow baking dish large enough to hold fish. Spread fish open, and transfer fennel mixture to center of fish. Sprinkle with lime juice, and close fish. Tie together crosswise in 2 or 3 places using kitchen twine.
• Season fish with salt and pepper; rub with remaining garlic. Pour reserved oil over fish; cover with fennel stalks and fronds. Pour in white wine.
• Bake fish, basting often with juices from pan, until flesh is opaque and flakes slightly, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Remove strings. Transfer to a large serving platter; garnish with watercress. Serve immediately.

CITRUS FENNEL WHOLE ROASTED FISH

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Start by cleaning your Whole Branzino Fish (4).
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add Olive Oil (3 tablespoon) to the pan along with the sliced Fennel Bulb (3) and cook the fennel for about 5 minutes before stirring and cooking for another five minutes.
• Once fennel has softened and slightly caramelized, add in the Canned White Beans (3 cup), Dry White Wine (1/4 cup), and Lemon (1) and cook for about 5 minutes more.
• Pour the fennel and beans onto a large baking sheet. Rub the skin of each fish with Olive Oil and then season each fish inside and out with Sea Salt Flakes (to taste) and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste).
• Lay each prepared fish atop the fennel and bean mixture on the baking sheet. Stuff each fish with Blood Orange (to taste) and lay additional slices of citrus atop the fennel and bean mixture.
• Roast in the oven on the center rack for 20 minutes remove from the oven and add chopped fresh fennel leaves.

WHOLE ROASTED FISH WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make 3 diagonal slices about 1/2-inch deep on each side of the fish. Salt and olive oil the fish generously.
• Season the inside of the fish with salt and olive oil. Place 4 lemon slices, the bay leaves, a bundle of the mixed herbs and 2 of the garlic cloves inside the body cavity.
• Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil and arrange the remaining assorted herbs, lemon slices and garlic in the center of the tray and lay the fish on top.
• Fold the aluminum foil up around the sides of the fish to create a sort of baking dish. Add the white wine and place in the preheated oven and roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven, present and collect your kudos then fillet to serve.

ROASTED WHOLE FISH AND FENNEL WITH CRUSHED POTATOES, PERSERVED LEMON, AND CHARMOULA

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, chopped cilantro, and lime juice in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
• Cut 2-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slits into outside of both sides of fish, spacing 2 inches apart. Sprinkle fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Place parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, fennel fronds, and lemon slices in fish cavity. Sprinkle top side of fish with chopped parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Do ahead Lime yogurt and fish can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir fennel seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Mix fennel wedges, 2 tablespoons olive oil, toasted fennel seeds, and 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme on rimmed baking sheet; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until fennel is tender and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 400°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Place potatoes in large saucepan; fill with enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer just until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Transfer potatoes to baking sheet and cool slightly. Using heel of hand, smash potatoes coarsely. Return potatoes to same saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and preserved lemon. Do ahead Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over fish. Roast fish just until opaque in center, about 30 minutes. Let fish rest 5 minutes.
• Add 1/4 cup reserved potato cooking liquid to potato mixture; stir gently over medium heat until heated through, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using 2 large metal spatulas, transfer fish to platter. Arrange fennel and potato mixture around. Spoon some Charmoula , then some lime yogurt atop fish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve with remaining Charmoula and lime yogurt.

WHOLE ROASTED ARCTIC CHAR WITH FENNEL AND PISTOU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the fish well inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Lay the big-boy out on a large rimmed sheet pan; cut 4 gashes crosswise on both sides of the fish, slicing all the way down to the bone. Season the arctic char with a generous amount of salt and pepper, inside the cavity and all over the skin. Stuff the mixed herbs and fennel inside the body of the fish. Tuck a lemon slice and bay leaf inside each of the slats. Rub a decent amount of olive oil on all parts of the fish. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the fish itself is flaky. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with Pistou sauce.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until the garlic is finely chopped. Serve at room temperature with grilled or roasted fish.
• Yield: 1 cup