When it comes to fish recipes, grilling, baking, or frying whole fish is a great way to get more out of your catch for a delectable meal. I’m always a big proponent of using as much of the fish and wild game we harvest and wasting less of the valuable resource we as humans rely on. A cut of fish that has been skinned and deboned usually dries out quickly during high-heat cooking because it’s no longer insulated by the layers of skin and fat.
A popular option for most whole fish recipes has always been trout, but I also love using yellow perch, freshwater drum, walleye, and bass to make my favorite Pescado Frito. The extra work necessary of scaling, gutting, and removing the gills only takes a couple of minutes. Gills give the dish an off taste so I always recommend removing them in all of my fish recipes.
I’ve introduced lots of family and friends to whole fish, and they quickly discover they are fans of salty, crispy fish skin. Before grilling, baking, or frying whole fish it’s important to make a few diagonal cuts across the body of the fish and cover with salt and oil. If you choose to grill your fish, I recommend a grill basket to prevent the outer layer of the skin from sticking and ripping off.
If your dinner guests are not fans of fish recipes where their meal looking back at them, it’s easy to remove the head with a knife before serving. You can also fillet the fish by cutting it in half along the top and removing all the bones. Once you’ve completed these few extra simple steps you will have a crispy whole fish that is perfect for serving your friends and family this summer.
If Pescado Frito isn’t your thing, you can find lots of other great fish recipes here.
