$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish
Fillet a whole fish without wasting half of it
Following the bones and contours of whole fish with a narrow, flexible blade.
Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife
AI-generated illustration of the dish
The Provençal way with loup de mer, the fish Italy calls branzino and Spain lubina: a whole sea bass stuffed with fennel fronds and lemon and roasted on a bed of sliced fennel, finished, if you like, by flaming it with pastis at the table.
Serves 2Prep 15 minCook 25 min
Can't find Loup de mer?
- Dorada — Both are farmed Mediterranean fish with mild white flesh, similar size, and best cooked whole — sea bass is slightly more delicate, bream slightly sweeter.
- Bacalhau — Both are mild white fish suited to similar preparations — sea bass is more delicate and expensive, cod is firmer and more robust.
- Huachinango — Monkfish tail is used as a substitute for sea bass in stews and roasts due to its firm texture — monkfish is denser and more robust, sea bass more delicate.
- Robalo — Both are prized coastal white fish with mild, firm flesh — snook has a slightly stronger flavor and is found in warmer waters.
- Grouper — Both are prized mild white fish well suited to whole cooking and restaurant menus — grouper is firmer and more robust, sea bass more delicate.
- Striped bass — Both are Moronidae with firm white flesh, ideal roasted whole or seared skin-on, and they are the closest true equivalents across the Atlantic — but they are different species. Striped bass runs larger and tastes fuller; European sea bass is more delicate and usually sold at plate size.
Ingredients & method
Ingredients
- 1 whole loup de mer (sea bass, branzino), 700 to 900 g, scaled and gutted
- 1 large fennel bulb with its fronds
- ½ lemon, sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to serve
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons pastis such as Pernod or Ricard (optional)
Method
- 1Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F).
- 2Trim the fennel, keeping the fronds. Slice the bulb thinly, toss it with 2 tablespoons of the oil and a pinch of salt, and spread it in a roasting dish just big enough for the fish.
- 3Rinse the fish and pat it dry. Make three shallow diagonal cuts on each side, down to the bone. Season it inside and out with salt and pepper.
- 4Fill the cavity with the fennel fronds and lemon slices. Lay the fish on the fennel and rub it with the rest of the oil.
- 5Roast 20 to 25 minutes, until the flesh at the thickest point pulls away from the backbone and reads about 55 °C (130 °F).
- 6If using pastis, warm it in a small pan, pour it over the fish at the table and light it carefully with a long match, standing back. Let the flames die down on their own.
- 7Lift the top fillet off the bone, pull out the spine, and serve both fillets with the soft fennel, a little more olive oil and the pan juices.
Cook this well
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Chef's tip
On the coast it is grilled over a bed of dried fennel stalks, 8 to 10 minutes a side, and the smoke flavors the fish. Allow 350 to 400 g of whole fish per person. Dorada (sea bream) and besugo take the same method, and branzino from a US market is the same species.
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