Coastal-Style Roasted Sea Bass or Other Large Whole Fish

• One 3-pound sea bass, gilled, gutted, and scaled, with head left on or removed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, cut into very thin slivers
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 20 fresh oregano or marjoram sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
• 8 small onions, peeled and cut in half
• 1 cup dry white wine or fish, chicken, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 161, 160, or 162), or water, plus a little more if needed
• Black pepper to taste

1. Cut 3 or 4 gashes on each side of the fish, from top to bottom.
2. Salt the gashes and salt the fishs cavity as well.
3. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
4. Preheat the oven to 450F.
5. Push half of the garlic slivers into the gashes.
6. Rub the fish with a little of the olive oil and pour the rest into the bottom of a large baking pan.
7. Spread the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan and top it with most of the oregano.
8. Lay the fish over all, then spread the onions and remaining garlic around the fish.
9. Pour the wine over all and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
10. Top with the remaining oregano.
11. Cover with aluminum foil and bake, undisturbed, until the onions are nearly tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
12. Uncover and continue to bake, shaking the pan occasionally, until the fish is cooked through, another 5 to 10 minutes (look at one of the gashes in the thickest part of the fish; the meat will appear opaque clear down to the central bone).
13. If the pan is drying out, add a little more liquid.
14. To serve, scoop the flesh from the fish with a spoon and top with some sauce.
15. If the weathers good, and you have access to fennel branches, this is easier: Start by preheating a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be quite hot and the grill rack about 4 inches from the heat source.
16. Make a bed of fennel stalks directly on the grill bed.
17. Sprinkle 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of sturdy fish fillets, like halibut (these may be steaks), striped bass, monkfish, or cod, with salt and cayenne.
18. Grill right on the branches.
19. While the fish is cooking, grind a teaspoon or more of fennel or dill seeds; juice 1 lemon and thinly slice another.
20. When the fish is done, remove it from the grill, leaving as much of the stalks behind as possible (some of the burned fronds will adhere to the fish; this is fine).
21. Sprinkle the fish with the fennel or dill seeds, then decorate it with the lemon slices.
22. Drizzle with the lemon juice and a bit of olive oil and serve.

bass, salt, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, oregano, onions, white wine, black pepper

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/coastal-style-roasted-sea-bass-or-other-large-whole-fish-386350 (may not work)