Photographer: John Paul Urizar
Fillets are fine, but the joys of a whole fish, bones and all, are unparalleled. The flesh is juicy and tender, and there’s something impressively theatrical about serving up a fish from head to tail.
While the task of buying, preparing and cooking an entire fish might seem challenging at first, it’s actually remarkably straightforward.
Barbecued barramundi, steamed snapper, poached Murray cod – whatever your preferred fish and flavour, we have all the whole fish recipes you need. There are simple Asian-style steamed whole fish recipes that never fail to delight; light and bright seafood dishes that stir up memories of a European summer; snapper jazzed up in a Jamaican-inspired Jerk, and so much more. From head to tail, these are the whole fish recipes you need to try.
Selecting sustainable seafood is important when it comes to fish. While nine in 10 Australians say that they’re concerned about fish sustainability, only a fraction of us put our money where our mouth is. So, Gourmet Traveller created a sustainable seafood guide to shine a light on the ways you can be a better fish eater, from buying local and lesser-known fish species to handy online tool Good Fish Bad Fish. Or check out Australia’s independent sustainable seafood guide, Good Fish.
A note on buying sustainable seafood
Lennox Hastie’s grilled whole flounder with pil-pil and capers
Three Blue Ducks’ barbecued whole fish with lemongrass and lime leaves
La Casita’s whole barbecued fish with sour-orange glaze
Whole snapper with orange and pistachio sauce
Barbecued barramundi with macadamia romesco
Jerk snapper with pineapple and lime
Paul Carmichael’s Creole fish
Frank Camorra’s dorada al fondo con patatas (marinated whole snapper baked on potatoes and peppers)
Giovanni Pilu’s snapper with white wine, green olives and parsley (Dentice alla vernaccia)
Snapper and clams en papillote with tarragon beurre blanc
Coral trout with saffron and Sherry-roasted onions
Teochew steamed fish
Sand whiting with caper and parsley butter
Bar Rochford’s garfish with sauce chien and habanero
Spiced coral trout with eggplant ezme
Monique Fiso’s grilled fish with herb dressing
Deep-fried coral trout with sambal belacan
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s bpla neung manow (steamed fish with spicy chilli and lime dressing)
Whole snapper roasted with curry flavours
Barbecued lemongrass snapper with pomelo and herb salad
Barbecued snapper in banana leaves with sambal belacan
Sean Moran’s poached Murray cod with dill
David Moyle’s John Dory with herb butter
Rainbow trout with almonds, bacon and green beans
Baked golden trout with roe
Jerk-rubbed barramundi with dirty rice
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Luke Burgess’s flounder fried in fubá with finger lime and young ginger
Roasted gurnard with smoky eggplant, farro and boiled lemon
David Moyle’s flounder with cultured butter and lemon leaves
The Summertown Aristologists’s whiting with seaweed butter
Ricky & Pinky’s steamed snapper with coriander and ginger
Giovanni Pilu’s trout with white wine and rosemary
Poached ocean trout
Barbecued turmeric snapper with sambal matah
Grilled John Dory with zucchini and frisée salad
Roast whole dory with caramelised garlic and crushed black pepper
Whole whiting roasted with tomato, lemon and young garlic
Whole sea bream with herb butter
Whole snapper with peperonata
Liberté’s whole barbecued snapper with green papaya salad
Whole barbecued fish with lemon
River Cafe’s whole roasted fish with potatoes (Pesce intero al forno)
Whole barbecued fish with chilli and peach salsa
Whole fish FAQs
One of the advantages of buying a whole fish is that you can more readily determine if the fish is fresh. Look for clear eyes, a brightly coloured gill (you’ll need to lift the gill flaps to check), fish that springs back when you poke it and one that doesn’t smell fishy.
Most fishmongers will take care of gutting, scaling and cleaning a whole fish for you if you ask, and this service is usually built into the price of fish, so don’t be afraid to tell them what you need!
How many people a whole fish will serve depends on the size of the fish. As a general rule of thumb, you want around 400g of whole fish per person to account for guts, bones, the head and so on. For roasting, fish from 600g to 2kg is ideal. Any smaller and you’ll be susceptible to overcooking the fish, while any larger risks you cooking the flesh evenly.
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