Whole Baked Fish – Snapper with Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce
Ingredients
Main
- 2 x 800g / 1.6 lb whole snapper or other whole fish, scaled, gutted and cleaned (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, kosher/cooking (not table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Stuffing
- 1/2 cup fresh dill sprigs, packed
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, packed
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced (8 slices each lemon)
Dill Garlic Butter
- 150g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 tsp garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
Instructions
- 1
Main - Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan). Line a tray with parchment/baking paper.
- 2
Main - Trim fins: Cut all fins off the fish using scissors – both fins on the side, and the fins on the back and underside of the fish (but not the tail).
- 3
Main - Slash flesh: Cut 3 slashes on each side of the fish, cutting through flesh down to the bone (see photos in post and/or video, helpful!).
- 4
Main - Stuff fish (Note 2): Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper inside the cavity of the fish. Scatter the cavity with garlic slices, then stuff with parsley and dill. Layer lemons on top of herbs.
- 5
Main - Tie fish (Note 3): Using kitchen string make 3 ties to hold fish together.
- 6
Main - Season skin: Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper on the skin (both sides), including a bit on the head of the fish. Then drizzle with olive oil. Rub all over the fish, including in the slashes.
- 7
Main - Bake 20 minutes (Note 4): Place fish on prepared tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F (insert thermometer in the thickest part of the fish, not against the bone). Alternatively, use a small knife at one of the cut slits in the fish to prise a bit of meat gently away from the spine. If it flakes away from the bone without resistance, it's done.
- 8
Main - Rest: Remove from oven, transfer to serving platter and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 58°C / 136.5F ("medium", ie. just-cooked and not raw at all, very juicy and moist).
- 9
Main - Serve with Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce on the side. Either pour over the butter just prior to serving the fish, or let everyone help themselves. See this video by Serious Eats for a concise tutorial for how to carve and serve a whole roasted fish.
- 10
Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce - Melted butter: Place butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add garlic and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds to 1 minute until it smells ridiculously good and you're salivating!
- 11
Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce - Add dill: Remove from heat. Stir in dill. Use per recipe.
