We Bought a Fish!

It may sound crazy, but it's true. Here's how the story goes: Saturday morning my boyfriend (Brendan) and I decided we wanted to cook fish for dinner. So, we traveled to Whole Foods Market (a store I rarely go to because I think it's insanely overpriced... but it was the closest store to my house that sells fish) and perused the large display of seafood. We had NO idea what kind of fish we wanted to make. The salmon looked alright, the tilapia was only so-so, and for a split second we almost decided to go with some fillets of haddock. But then we saw it, peaking out from under a gigantic pile of ice, with its eyes starring straight at us and its mouth gaping wide open: a whole red snapper. I'd never cooked a whole fish before. Brendan had certainly never cooked a whole fish before. So naturally we purchased it...we bought an entire fish. 

What occurred after we returned to my house was a mixture of thumbing through the cookbooks in my kitchen, skimming through food magazines, googling recipes, and watching a series of "how to cook a whole fish" videos on YouTube (which proved quite useful). After about 30 minutes or so of researching we felt relatively sure that we knew how to cook a whole fish...sure, why not? Later that night, we tested our newfound skills:

Step #1: play with the fish...I know our parents always taught us not to play with our food, but COME ON...it's a whole fish for crying out loud! Obviously we were going to have a bit of fun first. 

Step #2: cut the belly open, then stuff with fresh herbs (we used parsley and thyme) and slices of lemon; next, make 3-4 slits on each side of the fish and coat each slit with salt (apparently this not only helps flavor the fish, but also helps moisten the meat). Place fish in baking dish.

Step #3: In preheated oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) bake fish for approximately 45 minutes. When fish is finished cooking, it should look something like this (meat is nice and flaky, eyes of the fish have popped - apparently a sign that the fish is done): 

Step #4: Eat and enjoy (look out for bones!). 

To accompany the fish, we made Sauteed Broccoli Rabe (3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste, olive oil, enough water to barely coat the bottom of the pan --> sauté together with broccoli rabe until desired tenderness) and an adapted version of Mark Bittman's Quinoa with Caramelized Onions: sauté 1 chopped onion on medium heat (with olive oil) for about 15 minutes --> add 1 tablespoon molasses or brown sugar and sauté for another 2-3 minutes --> add 1/3 cup of quinoa and sauté for 2-3 minutes --> add 2/3 cup of water --> bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa's cooked.

The meal was fantastic. But, there we were left with quite a bit of uneaten fish. What was to become of such leftovers? It certainly was not going to be wasted. And believe me, it was not. 

Sunday night - I made Fish Stock out of the leftover fish bones: combine 6-8 cups of water with fish carcass and bring to boil --> simmer for at least 35 minutes --> when finished, strain through sieve, making sure to remove all bones --> let stock cool and then place in containers...I froze all of my stock, but if you're going to use it within 2-3 days, then you can keep it in the fridge. 

Monday night--

I made Fish Tacos: sauté 1/2 chopped onion in olive oil --> add handful of leftover fish --> add 1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes and any desired spices (I used a dash of cumin and chili powder) --> sauté for 5 or so minutes, until everything is heated through. Serve on top of warm corn tortillas, and top with some chopped cilantro, sliced lettuce or cabbage, and hot sauce, if desired. 

Tuesday night-- 

I had Fish Salad with a Shallot and Veggie Sauce: in small saucepan sauté 1 small chopped shallot with 1/3 cup red wine (or raspberry wine) vinegar and dash of olive oil on medium heat for about 3 minutes --> add 1/2 chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes --> add about 1 cup finely chopped veggies (I did mushrooms and broccoli) and sauté for another 5 minutes --> add 1 tablespoon butter and continue to sauté until butter is completely melted. Serve over fish salad (heat up fish in microwave and lay on top of bed of spinach). Eat with warm tortilla, pita, or toasted bread. I also had a small side of roasted sweet potatoes (my fav).

This easily could have been a post about buying and cooking an entire chicken or whole turkey or even a container of tofu - though obviously the cooking methods would be different (tofu does not have a belly to slice open...). The type of protein that you buy is not as important as the underlying messages of this post: 

1. Go big or go home, and if you do, don't let anything go to waste. The original price of the whole fish was quite expensive, and at first I worried that we were making a poor economic choice. But after the wonderful meal that the fish yielded on Saturday, I was able to use that fish three more ways, and in two more meals. In hindsight, the original cost seems super cheap, given how much I got out of my purchase. 

2. Be creative with leftovers. Don't let "leftover night" mean "same meal as last night...and the night before". 

So what do you think? Would you buy a whole fish, or how 'bout a whole chicken, now that I've made my case as to why you should do so and I've given you recipes for the leftovers you'll have?