Whole Fish With Lime Salsa Verde

By Melissa Clark

Whole Fish With Lime Salsa Verde
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(358)
Comments
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Think of roasting a whole fish the same way you might think of roasting a whole chicken: an easy and delicious preparation that all cooks should have in their arsenal, and one that takes well to whatever ingredients you want to introduce. Here, those extra flavors are electric. The fish is stuffed with slices of lime and jalapeño, cilantro and scallion bottoms. An accompanying salsa is composed of more jalapeño, scallion tops, cilantro, lime juice and zest, as well as a dose of capers and garlic. The fish itself is simply oiled and seasoned, then roasted at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is opaque and flakes when pressed gently with a fork. (Each person you’re feeding should get his or her own fish, weighing about one or one and a half pounds apiece.) Spoon the salsa on top, a streak of bright, spicy flavor for the delicate, moist fish.

Featured in: The Whole Fish, and Little but the Fish

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2bunches cilantro
  • 2bunches scallions
  • 2jalapeño peppers
  • ¼cup drained capers, chopped
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 3limes
  • ½cup plus 8 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Black pepper
  • 4whole fish, like sea bass or black bass, 1 to 1½ pounds each
  • 3teaspoons coarse kosher salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

918 calories; 50 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 30 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 103 grams protein; 1742 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To make the salsa: Coarsely chop ⅔ cup of cilantro leaves and transfer to a bowl. Thinly slice ⅔ cup of the dark green scallion tops and add to the bowl, reserving the bottoms. Seed and finely chop one of the jalapeños and add it to the bowl. Stir in the capers and garlic. Finely grate in the zest of 1 lime and squeeze in its juice. Stir in ½ cup oil. Season with black pepper. Cover and let stand until ready to use.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Pat each fish dry and coat with 2 teaspoons oil. Generously season the outside and cavity of each fish with the salt and black pepper. Transfer fish to the prepared baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    Thinly slice the remaining 2 limes and seed and slice the other jalapeño pepper. Divide the lime slices, jalapeño slices, remaining cilantro sprigs and scallion bottoms among each fish cavity. Bake until fish is just opaque and flakes when pressed gently with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Serve fish with salsa verde on top or alongside.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
358 user ratings
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Comments

Wendy

This is a great (and easy) recipe! I have made it with black bass and trout and both were delicious. The salsa verde is a winner too, and should be used on all kinds of food, from rice to chicken.

Roxie

With a lighter fish, I found the cilantro a bit overpowering and cut half flat-leaf parsley. It was tasty.

Patty

I used half the oil the salsa called for and it was plenty.

Max Alexander, Rome

Why make a video of someone hacking apart a baked fish into a pile of baby food who admits she doesn’t know how to do it properly? Anyone can do it the right way, not just waiters in bow ties. Leave the skin on, then turn the whole filets onto plates. (If you don’t like skin, just leave it on the plate as you eat; that’s what your knife is for.) Line your sheet pan with oven paper and you won’t be scraping fish skin off it at midnight. This is not difficult.

Georgina

Have the luxury of preparing this recipe with luscious chilean Cojinova. Succulent, delectable results. Thanks Melissa with love!

Deborah VC

Because I was roasting fennel for another recipe, I started my branzino at 435° for 15 mins. Switched to convection for about 6 mins. Let fish rest while I finished the side dishes, then filleted and served. The fish was perfectly done and moister than when I’ve grilled fish in the past. The salsa was a bit tart but delightful. Served with Roasted Fennel and Farro Salad (Melissa Clark) and Mast-o Khiar (Persian Cucumber and Herb Yogurt (Samin Nosrat). Delicious meal!

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