Cooking a whole fish is easier than you think! Follow these simple instructions on how to cook a whole fish and you’ll get it perfect every single time!
My family and I LOVE fishing. One of my first memories of my childhood is going out to a little pond with my parents and brother spending an evening fishing for bass. Since then, we’ve tried many different types of fishing in many different parts of the world. Every vacation we go on, we somehow involve a little fishing excursion! We’ve fished in Cancun, Ukraine, Colorado, New Mexico, and of course my home state of Texas.
The Texas coast is my absolute favorite place to fish!! Every time I go it makes me feel like I’m home. We usually catch whiting, sheepshead, black drum, and some red fish. The whiting and sheepshead aren’t big enough to fillet so we eat them whole.
Over the years we have perfected our steps on how to cook a whole fish so today I am showing you all the secrets!👏
Secrets to the Cooking Perfect Whole Fish
- Wash it well!
This may seem lime a given but, wash your fish well! If you yourself caught the fish/didn’t buy it from the grocery store, when you gut it, you’re going to be left with a lot of blood on the inside. Be sure to wash that out super well. The taste is super powerful and it will end up overpowering whatever seasonings you put onto the fish.
- Scoring
Scoring means that you cut slices diagonally into the sides of the fish. I do this for
To do this, make sure you use a really sharp knife. It will make the process much easier and safer.
- Marinating
Sprinkle seasoning everywhere around the fish, especially the inside where the guts would be, then let it marinate in the seasoning for at least 15 minutes. During that time, the fish will be able to soak in the spices and absorb their flavor.
- Wrap in tin foil
If you’ve never tried this, I’m about to blow your mind! Wrapping the fish in tin foil holds in heat to cook the fish super evenly. So the edges of the fish won’t be dry and flaky with the inside is still raw.
- Use a thermometer.
If you don’t have one yet, pull up amazon right now and order yourself a meat thermometer. It’s seriously such a great investment! I use it all the time when cooking pork and chicken and especially fish! When my fish hits 145 degrees F, I immediately pull it out of the oven. This way I never over/undercook my fish. 🙂
Extra Tips
- Bake at 375 degrees F
- Seasoning salt is a really great
seasoning for any fish. It’s mild but still really tasty - Since you’re baking the entire fish, take advantage of all the parts of the fish. This seems super random but, try the cheek meat. It’s my absolute favorite part!
- Fish is also really great with a little spritz of lemon juice on top! Definitely recommend! 🙂
There you have it! All you need to know about how to cook a whole fish perfectly every time!
My brother and dad document all our fishing excursions on their youtube channel, Catchin the Reel Life. So, if you’re interested, definitely go check out their channel! It’s amazing!!