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Cook a whole fish, hook a great meal

Photo by Jaden Hair

With fish so abundant in Bay area waters, a fresh-grilled dinner shouldn't be too difficult to plan.

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By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 22, 2009

I have yet to go fishing in the local waters, unless I count the time my friend Judy took the kids and me to Little Manatee River State Park. We used squirmy worms as bait on their kiddy fishing poles and caught fish so small they were probably from someone else's bait bucket.

But there are all sorts of delish fish in these Tampa Bay waters and that day, I bumped into a fisherman named Phillip hauling a cooler full of black mullet, silver mullet and bluefish. I was so excited I bought one of each.

I should have just paid Phillip an extra $5 to scale them for me, because scaling three fish in a kitchen sink is not fun. Slippery, transparent fish scales ricocheting off the knife and flying into my eyes almost made me forget how good these super-fresh fish would taste.

For more food adventures visit Jaden's Web site, www.steamykitchen.com.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH WITH CHILI SOY DIPPING SAUCE

The type of fish is up to you. I love grilling whole red snapper or anything locally caught. Phillip's bluefish was the perfect size to feed my family of four. I grilled it whole outdoors. Having a fish grill basket helps keep the fish intact and all of the herbs inside it. The last thing you want to see is dinner breaking up and falling through the grill grates.

I found the perfect sized basket at Sur La Table for $25. You can use any fresh herbs: mint, cilantro, parsley, dill. I used sliced ginger, sliced key lime, green onions and kaffir lime leaves that grow in my garden.

• Whole fish, scaled and gutted (one 3 to 5-pound fish or two 1 1/2-pounders)
• Cooking oil
• Salt and pepper
• Big handful of fresh herbs
• 2 lemons/limes or 1 orange
• 3-inch section of fresh ginger, sliced thin, additional lemon or lime wedges for the table

For the Dipping Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 to 1 fresh chili pepper, sliced thin (depends on your heat preference)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat your outdoor grill. Clean the fish inside and out, and pat very dry. Cut 3 to 4 vertical slashes to the bone on each side of the fish. Brush the fish inside and out with cooking oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper inside and out. Stuff with the fresh herbs, citrus and ginger slices and tuck them inside the slashes.

Place the fish in a fish grill basket and close it. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes on direct heat (covered) then flip the basket and grill another 6 to 8 minutes (covered). The fish is done when it flakes easily at the thickest part.

To make the dipping sauce, heat a small sauce pot over medium high heat. Add the cooking oil and when hot, add the garlic and chili peppers. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce and sugar and let cook for another 15 seconds. Serve the sauce with lemon/lime wedges with the fish.

Serves four.

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