Alison Roman’s Grilled Trout with Green Goddess Butter Recipe (A Whole Fish! Yes, You Can!)
Roasting an entire bird is a dish home cooks tend to get under their belt early on. A whole fish however, remains daunting to many. Self-confessed pros, even. But if there’s anyone who can show you the way, it’s Alison Roman.
In her new bestselling cookbook, Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over, she forgoes the usual quiet encouragement, and instead proclaims her unwavering confidence in you in the actual title. Still harbouring even a speck of doubt? Those exclamation marks are just a stone’s throw from all caps, so heed this expert advice and tackle your apprehension once and for all.
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Grilled Trout with Green Goddess Butter (A Whole Fish! Yes, You Can!)
serves 4 to 8
2–4 whole trout, branzino, or small black bass (12–14 ounces each), gutted and scaled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few sprigs of fresh savory, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or rosemary
1–2 tablespoons canola oil
Green Goddess Butter (page 124)
2 lemons or limes, halved
Flaky sea salt
NOTE A whole fish is not as fussy as you think. A rather intuitive situation, perfectly cooked fish will fillet easily; the meat will effortlessly release from the bones simply by running a spoon or fork alongside the top of the spine. From there, you may have a few pin bones to deal with, which is not the end of the world, but definitely worth a mention. As for the rest of it:
I don’t eat the eyes, but I do eat the cheeks and think you should, too.
Grilling a whole fish might sound like something you can’t do, but let me say if you can grill a hot dog, you can grill a whole fish, especially something thin and manageably sized, like trout or branzino. Rather than seduce you with fancy flavor profiles and exotic ingredients, I want you to focus on the task at hand, which is just grilling the whole fish (which, for some, is already fancy and exotic enough). Apart from a good pair of tongs, all you’ll need is confidence and a very hot grill. Considerably easier than grilling fillets, whole fish also screams festive and ambitious—what could be more fitting?
Once you master the process of preparing a whole fish simply, you can get as crazy as you want with sauces and marinades, and whatever else makes you happy. But here, all you really need to make it truly sing is to slather it with some sort of delicious butter, like this tangy, herby, salty Green Goddess Butter, and a healthy squeeze of citrus.
1 Heat a grill to medium-high.
2 Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the inside with the herbs of your choosing and rub the outside of the fish with the oil. Place the fish directly on the grates with the spine facing you (this will make it easier to flip later). Let it grill, without moving or fussing, until the skin is charred, crisped, and fully cooked on one side, 6 to 8 minutes.
3 Test to see if the fish is ready to turn by using a spatula to flip the fish away from you onto its other side. A perfectly cooked fish will easily release from the grill; if it struggles, chances are it’s not ready, so give it another minute. Once ready, flip the fish and continue cooking until the skin is crisped and the fish is fully cooked, another 6 to 8 minutes.
4 Use the spatula to transfer the fish onto one large serving platter (or two large plates). Spoon on some of the butter, letting it melt over the fish. Squeeze the citrus over and sprinkle with the flaky salt. Serve any extra butter alongside.
GREEN GODDESS BUTTER
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1⁄2 cup fresh parsley, tender leaves and stems, very finely chopped
1⁄4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, very finely chopped
1⁄4 cup very finely chopped fresh chives
4 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the butter, parsley, tarragon, chives, anchovies, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Smash with a fork until well blended (alternatively, place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined). Season with salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD Green Goddess Butter can be made up to 2 weeks ahead, covered tightly, and refrigerated. Bring the butter to room temperature before serving.
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Alison Roman’s Grilled Trout with Green Goddess Butter Recipe (A Whole Fish! Yes, You Can!) is excerpted from NOTHING FANCY: UNFUSSY FOOD FOR HAVING PEOPLE OVER © 2019 by Alison Roman. Photography © 2019 by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott. Reproduced by permission of Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved.
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