ROASTED HERBED FISH
This basic technique works beautifully with any whole fish, whether it’s small enough to serve one or large enough for a holiday family meal. The only thing that changes is the volume of herbs you’ll need to fill it, and how long the fish needs to roast. I used a black sea bass, but any white-fleshed fish of 1 to 2 pounds would be fine. Avoid flat fish, which (because of their unusual anatomy) don’t lend themselves to this particular preparation method.
Ingredients
1 whole, dressed sea bass or other white-fleshed fish, 1 to 2 pounds
1 fresh lemon, whole
6-10 stems thyme (or other fresh herbs to taste)
Salt and pepper
Method
Heat your oven to 400 F.
Scale the fish, if the fishmonger hasn’t done this for you already. Rinse the scales from the fish and clean out the body cavity, if necessary, under cold, running water. Pat dry on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Lay the fish on a cutting board, and cut 3 to 4 angled slashes on each side of its body. Season it lightly, inside and out, with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
Cut 3 to 5 slices from the lemon. Place some of the herbs into the fish’s body cavity, then enough lemon slices to line the cavity from head to tail, and then top with the remaining herbs.
Tie the fish in 3 or 4 places with cotton kitchen twine, to hold it together and keep the herbs and lemon in place.
Transfer to a lightly oiled baking dish which can double as your serving dish. Roast for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the fish, until it’s just barely opaque when tested in the thickest area of the back, immediately behind the head.
Remove the dish from the oven to a trivet or heatproof pad and let it rest for a minute or two, then spoon the herbed oil dressing over the fish and serve.
Herbed Oil Dressing
Ingredients
½ cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, very finely minced or grated
1 pinch red pepper flakes
capers
¼ cup basil-infused “green oil”
Method
Mince the herbs very finely using a sharp knife. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.
Green Oil
3 cups baby spinach, tightly packed 1 cup fresh basil, tightly packed 1 cup olive oil, or a neutral-flavored oil of your choice 2-3 drops chlorophyll (optional)
Drop the spinach and basil into the jar of your blender. Add ¼ to 1/3 of the oil and process until the mixture forms a thick paste, then add the remaining oil in a thin stream.
Process for about 5 minutes in a high-powered blender (ie, BlendTec, Vitamix or similar), until the oil is very warm to the touch.
Pour the herb and oil mixture from the blender jar into the strainer.
Add the garlic, capers, red pepper and basil-infused “green oil,” and stir to combine.
Set aside to rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes, for the flavors to infuse, before using.
