Fish Movies

[Andreas Mbili]

Whilethe fish is the star of the show, what would the star be without an extraordinary supporting cast. This video features a decidedly mediterranean vibe, but the moral of the story is just about making sure you have a well-rounded spread:

Grilled fish + something saucy (preserved lemon dressing) + an herby, starchy moment (orzo salad) + something crunchy and salty (crushed cucumbers and olives) + something sweet and sharp (tomatoes with sliced onions) + something creamy and fatty to snack on (sliced feta).

In place of the orzo salad, you could go for another starchy side, like potato salad, boiled, crushed potatoes, or lemony potatoes. You could also make the salad the same way but use rice, barley, farro, or another grain instead of orzo.

For the preserved lemon dressing, you can make your own or find them online or at a Middle Eastern or specialty grocer. You could also use half of a regular lemon instead and follow the recipe as written, or skip the dressing altogether and simply squeeze lemon over your fish. If you want it to be spicy, you could add some chili flakes, and you could use lemon juice instead of vinegar (but vinegar gives it a little sweetness and different kind of acidity, and is really nice here). This dressing is good on most things, FYI.

2. Transfer the orzo to a large bowl along with all the herbs and toss to combine. Add lemon juice and olive oil, and season with salt and lots and lots of black pepper. Toss again and season with more salt, pepper and lemon if needed.

1. With the side of a large knife, smash each piece of cucumber to expose its craggly insides. Add to a large bowl along with the olives and season them with salt and pepper. Finish with a generous splash of vinegar, and set aside while you cook your fish to let everything mingle together.

I bought my first house over the winter and after a lifetime of rather anonymously living in apartments I'm getting used to interacting with "neighbours". It's a bit much sometimes! But also I live next to an older Italian man named Antonio and he brings me tomatoes and cucumbers from his garden. Recently he asked me if I liked "sardines" and I said sure I'd love to try anything!

He told me a story about the village he lived in as a boy and how that day they would be celebrating a saint's holiday and the whole seaside would be filled with people grilling fish. A little bit later he brought over 2 beautifully charred sardines and a fluffy white bun and I had the best little meal I've had in years. Now I'm obsessed with grilling whole fish and I'm going to try your recipe!!

Hello from AUGUST! I am trying to channel a more positive attitude about what is undeniably the most anticlimactic warm weather season of my sweet young life and consider the last twenty days we have left to be a GIFT. And what better way to honor this gift than by GRILLING A WHOLE FISH. It goes without saying that WHOLE FISH screams \u201CI\u2019m having a great time,\u201D but pairing that with a full spread of casually prepared summer vegetables, well, then, that is a full blown party.

Admittedly, I want a lot of things for you (to buy anchovies, to keep the stems on parsley, to not peel your onions when you make brothy beans), but what right now, today, what I really want is for you to take a chance on yourself and grill a whole fish. It\u2019s not hard, and as I\u2019ve said before: If you can grill a hot dog, you can grill a whole fish.

If you\u2019re feeling late-summer fatigue kicking in (it can\u2019t just be me), may I suggest\u2026..grilling a whole fish? I\u2019m sure that wasn\u2019t on your agenda for the week, but I\u2019m here to tell you that should be. Simpler than it sounds, fish-grilling is a truly joy-inducing activity, maybe the exact thing you need at this end of this summer. If you don\u2019t have a grill (I don\u2019t!), I\u2019m very pleased to report this also works in the oven, and still made me feel very accomplished.

Think of this as summer\u2019s answer to spring\u2019s chicken dinner, in that it\u2019s mostly about how to grill fish, but it\u2019s also about how to make an entire spread out of that fish, from the preserved lemon dressing to the salads and other snacky things to serve alongside it. This is low-maintenance, high-reward cooking (the Home Movies agenda) at its finest. Casual but still special, it\u2019s a great way to take advantage of the beautiful in-season produce and make a big, exciting dinner. March on over to your favorite local fish market (you already know ours is Fish Tales), confidently ask for a few \u201Cgutted and scaled branzinos, please,\u201D and get ready to impress yourself.

If grilling a whole fish feels intimidating, we\u2019re here to put your mind at ease because this video covers all the basics. We discuss the difference between bone-in and butterflied fish, how to prevent overcooking and sticking to the grill, and the importance of supporting the head like your fish is a baby. You\u2019ll also see what to serve with it to make it a full, actual dinner (our favorite thing).

While the fish is the star of the show, what would the star be without an extraordinary supporting cast. This video features a decidedly mediterranean vibe, but the moral of the story is just about making sure you have a well-rounded spread:

Grilled fish + something saucy (preserved lemon dressing) + an herby, starchy moment (orzo salad) + something crunchy and salty (crushed cucumbers and olives) + something sweet and sharp (tomatoes with sliced onions) + something creamy and fatty to snack on (sliced feta).

For the tomatoes and onions, you can use regular tomatoes if you can\u2019t find our sweet sweet sungolds, and if your tomatoes are a little meh, zhuzh them up with some vinegar, fish sauce, or anchovies.

2. Thinly slice 2 lemons and divide the slices between the 4 fish, inserting the slices where the fish is open from cleaning (typically from the head to the middle of the belly), seasoning with salt and pepper in there while you\u2019re at it. You can tie the fish closed with butcher\u2019s twine if you like, but the lemon slices should stay put. Rub the outside of the fish with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Once the grill is as hot as it\u2019s going to get, place the fish on the grill with the backbone facing you (as opposed to the open side)\u2014it\u2019s easier to flip it from this side. And now don\u2019t touch it for 8 to 10 minutes. After 8 minutes, you can try to flip the fish to see if the skin is charred, puffed, and crispy (it should be). If the fish is ready to be flipped, it will release easily; if it doesn\u2019t, give it a few more minutes.

4. Once the fish is ready to be flipped, take a large, wide spatula (a fish spatula works really well here, but so does a large grilling spatula) and place it under the fish, just like you\u2019re flipping a pancake. From there, flip it so that the open side is now facing you. Continue to grill until the other side is also charred and crispy and the fish is cooked through, another 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Thinly slice 1 lemon and divide the slices between the 2 fish, inserting the slices where the fish is open from cleaning (typically from the head to the middle of the belly), seasoning with salt and pepper in there while you\u2019re at it. You can tie the fish closed with butcher\u2019s twine if you like, but the lemon slices should stay put. Rub the outside of the fish with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Place the prepared fish on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet (or on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet). Halve the remaining 2 lemons and put them on the rack, cut-side down. Roast, without turning, until the fish is cooked through and the skin is starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. (The oven provides more even heat than the grill, so there\u2019s no need to flip them.)

There will be a special advance screening of Mending the Line presented by Fly Fisherman magazine June 3, 2023 at the Allenberry in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. Tickets are $25 at ticketleap.com. 100% of ticket proceeds go to Warriors and Quiet Waters, and there will be raffles and silents auctions for tackle, outerwear, flies, artwork, and much more. After the show there will be a panel discussion with WQW alumni, director Joshua Caldwell and others about the film and the healing power of fly fishing. Be there to support our vets!

There is a great deal about living that trout can teach us. They teach us how to keep swimming even in a steady current. Trout know that if they stop swimming, they cease to be trout and begin to become debris, floating without purpose wherever the current may take them. Trout know that if they keep swimming, facing into the current, perhaps in the eddy of a rock, all that they need to truly live will eventually come to them. I learn a great deal from trout.

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