Grill-Roasted Whole Sea Bass with Salmoriglio Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 20, 2021
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salmoriglio Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1½ tablespoons minced fresh oregano 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 small garlic clove, minced⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepperFish
2 (1½- to 2-pound) whole sea bass, scaled, gutted, and fins snipped off with scissors3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepperBefore You Begin
Do not flip the fish over in one motion. Instead, use two thin metal spatulas to gently lift the fish from the grate and then slide it from the spatula back onto the grate. You can substitute whole snapper for the sea bass. Fish weighing more than 2 pounds will be hard to maneuver on the grill and should be avoided.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients in bowl until combined; cover and set aside for serving.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Rinse each sea bass under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Using sharp knife, make 3 or 4 shallow slashes, about 2 inches apart, on both sides of sea bass. Rub sea bass with oil and season generously with salt and pepper inside and outside.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Lay sea bass on grill, perpendicular to grate bars. Cook (covered if using gas) until sea bass skin is browned and beginning to blister on first side, 6 to 8 minutes. Using spatula, lift bottom of thick backbone edge of sea bass from cooking grate just enough to slide second spatula under fish. Remove first spatula, then use it to support raw side of sea bass as you use second spatula to flip fish over. Cook (covered if using gas) until second side is browned, beginning to blister, and sea bass registers 140 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully transfer sea bass to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Fillet sea bass by making vertical cut just behind head from top of fish to belly. Make another cut on top of sea bass from head to tail. Use spatula to lift meat from bones, starting at head end and running spatula over bones to lift out fillet. Repeat on other side of sea bass. Discard head and skeleton. Serve with sauce.
for the salmoriglio
for the fish
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Salmoriglio Sauce
Fish
Ingredients
Salmoriglio Sauce
Fish
Ingredients
Salmoriglio Sauce
Fish
Why This Recipe Works
We readied the sturdy sea bass for the grill by making shallow diagonal slashes on the skin, which helped ensure even cooking and enabled us to gauge doneness more easily, and then we coated the fish (and the cooking grate) with oil to prevent any sticking and seasoned them generously with salt and pepper both inside and out. Since the fish would roast quickly over a hot single-level fire, we prepared an accompanying sauce first to turn our fish into something truly special. Salmoriglio is a citrusy, herbal Italian sauce bursting with bright flavor that goes well with grilled fish. After grilling the first side until browned and starting to blister, we used two thin metal spatulas to flip the fish over to cook the second side.
Before You Begin
Do not flip the fish over in one motion. Instead, use two thin metal spatulas to gently lift the fish from the grate and then slide it from the spatula back onto the grate. You can substitute whole snapper for the sea bass. Fish weighing more than 2 pounds will be hard to maneuver on the grill and should be avoided.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients in bowl until combined; cover and set aside for serving.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Rinse each sea bass under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Using sharp knife, make 3 or 4 shallow slashes, about 2 inches apart, on both sides of sea bass. Rub sea bass with oil and season generously with salt and pepper inside and outside.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Lay sea bass on grill, perpendicular to grate bars. Cook (covered if using gas) until sea bass skin is browned and beginning to blister on first side, 6 to 8 minutes. Using spatula, lift bottom of thick backbone edge of sea bass from cooking grate just enough to slide second spatula under fish. Remove first spatula, then use it to support raw side of sea bass as you use second spatula to flip fish over. Cook (covered if using gas) until second side is browned, beginning to blister, and sea bass registers 140 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully transfer sea bass to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Fillet sea bass by making vertical cut just behind head from top of fish to belly. Make another cut on top of sea bass from head to tail. Use spatula to lift meat from bones, starting at head end and running spatula over bones to lift out fillet. Repeat on other side of sea bass. Discard head and skeleton. Serve with sauce.
for the salmoriglio
for the fish
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