When it comes to sharing plates featuring fish, I usually like buying them whole. This can be a scary business so it’s best to head to the fishmonger. They will scale, gut and clean the fish with gusto, because generally fishmongers prefer selling larger pieces of fish. It’s the same with butchers: they generally like selling bigger joints of meat. Perhaps they can imagine 8 – 10 people around a communal table, with everyone tucking in. Doesn’t this vision make you happy?
Recently we had some very good line-caught wild sea bass from Furness Fish in Borough Market. Each fish weighed between 1.2 and 1.6 kilos, which feeds around 4 – 6 people, along with a few large platters of vegetables and salads. If the fish is around 1.2 kg it is better to prepare two fishes for 6 people, so you have enough. You can just about get away with a 1.6 kg fish for 6 people. As a bonus, at the end of the meal I managed to flake off the bits of fish around the head and spine. This came to 160 g so it really is worth picking at the bones, as it were. The fish went into some rice porridge (congee/粥) the next day. If I were in Kuala Lumpur I would have saved the fish eyes for Ginger, our family cat.
The fish display at Furness Fish, Borough Market
Here are the basics of roasting a whole large sea bass:
Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 160 C fan.
Line your oven tray with some thick aluminium foil, leaving a generous overhang on each side of the tray.
Place the whole fish (scaled and gutted) on the foil. Stuff the belly cavity with two smashed sticks of lemongrass, fresh coriander stems, torn up kaffir lime leaves and any lime rind if you have used the juice for another recipe.
Fold the foil over the fish to create a sort of ‘tent’ and seal the edges. For each fish weighing anything from 1.2 – 1.6 kg, bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Switch the oven off and leave to settle for another 10 minutes while you bring out the vegetable platters and gather your guests around the table.
To serve, open up the foil and using a fork and spoon, cut through the fish meat and place large chunks directly onto your guests’ plates.
I only have this photo of the stuffed sea bass ready for the oven. Once the fish was ready it had to be served immediately. At both dinners where I served the sea bass, it was very well received.
