It has been four days into this project and I started to see how intense it is. I know it would not be easy and it would require extra effort especially doing this, documenting it. But hey, nothing worth doing is ever easy.

I’m aware of my ability to cook different dishes in one day, I have done it several times. But deconstruct each dish from the science perspective and write about it in details, is a new challenge. It is hard but strangely awesome and rewarding. Enough of that, let dig onto todays dish, right!

OK, When it comes whole fish, I prefer someone else cooks for me.

Why? you might ask. Good question. Cleaning fish is tedious and smelly work.

You don’t have to clean it, fishmongers do that, you would follow. I like you already. I know, and you are correct. But sometimes, just sometimes, I like to understand the anatomy of the fish, while cleaning and filleting it. I know I’m a complicated personality. Remember, this project started because I’m a stubborn person Eh!

Eating whole cooked fish is a wonderful thing. It is enjoying the whole fish from head to tail. Nothing left behind. Maybe eyeballs! Have you tried them before? No way I haven’t.

Growing up close to the north cost of Egypt, The Mediterranean Sea (Port Said and Alexandria), we used to eat fish 3 times a week. Lovely days. My mom cooked whole fishes in several ways. Grilled, oven baked, boiled, broiled, and fried. It was always delicious. And I miss it.

Now, I want to keep the tradition and feed my family and friends (maybe you one day 😉) same awesomeness food and show appreciation to the whole fish. Who doesn’t anyway!!!

Even when I watched my mom cleaned, filleted and cooked fishes several times, I never learned how to cook them. I didn’t know what was it. I had no interest in cooking whatsoever. Although, I was around in the kitchen to chat, samples food 😋 and offer my humble help when it was needed.

But, and it is a big one, university years taught me life is freaking hard and I need to cook for myself in order to survive and be dependable. Take out and dine-in broke the bank. It was not worth it.

Thanks to these fortuitous cosmic coincidence, I learned how to cook the hard way. I asked my mom tones of questions. Watched fish grillers in Cairo’s street how they do it. And after few trials I was able to cook a whole fish. YES.

And to celebrate my achievements that I will cook a simple dish that is famous in Egypt, I grow up enjoying it and my family loves it. Traditionally we use Tilapia but don’t stress yourself, you can use any white chunky or big fish that takes on high oven heat. I used Sea Bream.

Cooking whole fish with tomato sauce, Mise en place — Cooking whole fish with tomato sauce, **Mise en place**

GET INTO IT

After I cleaned the fishes’ guts and scaled them, I dried them well with paper towel before rested them in a cooking pan/tray and after I salted them well outside and inside it’s cavity. Big job is done.✅

While my fishes were resting, I cranked the oven to 200Cº/392Fº. Gather my ingredients and thought of what veggies I need OR like to eat with those beautiful fishes.

Typically as I watched mom did it, the pan would have a cosy bed of sliced potatoes and onions for the fist to rest on it. See, this is pure care and love. These veggies add sweetness to tomato sauce and protect fish from burning at the bottom. But being the experimental I am, I used several vegetables and spices. Such as, onion, carrot, zucchini, garlic, parsley, whole tomato can, dried rose buds, dried chilli, bay leaves, cumin powder, garlic powder, coriander powder and ginger powder. Imagine flavours from such mix. Delightful.

My goal was to have a lightly sweet and spicy tomato sauce. I used most of the veggies to make a bad for my fishes. Few were scattered around and on top. And some were diced small, mixed with salt, cumin, coriander and black pepper and added inside fishes cavity. Exquisite, if I say so myself.

TOMATO SAUCE

When my assembly (put fish in bed ) is done and my tomato sauce is ready. The sauce started with heating pan with some oil, diced onion, garlic and all spices mentioned above.

Have I mentioned that I used dried rose buds!?. Yes, I did. First time to use it in cooking or in anything for that matter. And let me tell you, it smells beautiful, luscious, and fresh. It added sweetness to the dish without adding any sugar, which is astonishing.

You know what else rose buds good for??? Tea. Sublime I tell you.

Before

Cooking whole fish with veggies in tomato sauce

After

The Dish

FINAL TOUCH

I poured the sauce over my fishes to cover as much of the fish as I could. I liked the sauce slightly watery, with chunk of tomatoes. But it is up to you. If you have rustic bread (sourdough) then watery sauce would be great for dipping. Rice goes fantastic as well. You are the cook. Decide what you like to eat. You are free.

And to persuade you, listen to this advice:

“Anyone who’s a chef, who loves food, ultimately knows that all that matters is: ‘Is it good?’ Does it give a pleasure?”
ANTHONY BOURDAIN

Wisdoms…

OVEN TIME

Because I tried this before I knew I should bake this dish uncovered, but because I’m here for experiment and fun, I tried both ways. And the result was excellent.

I covered the fish half the cooking time with foil and uncovered till fish is flaky and done.

Both methods are good. And there are benefits and reasons on why and when you should use each method.

Let us dig in…

COVER OR UNCOVERED

With covered method, heat is trapped inside tightly sealed package in sauna-like conditions. This minimize moister loss from the fish and produce succulent flaky flesh. Absolute yumminess 😋🤤. And it is an effective way to infuse your fish with flavours using spices and herbs. Inside the enclosed sauna temperature increase and reach 100Cº/212Fº. That’s hot. The heat circulates in the sauna and steam the fish in its own juice. Well done ✅, chef.

Bake a whole fish uncovered in oven doesn’t transfer heat efficiently throughout the fish. Temperature reaches 140Cº/284Fº in the whole oven. Gradually heat dry out fish skin and make it crispy due moister loss. Also heat slowly travels toward the center of the fish and cooks it gently. Crispy outside and soft inside. Perfecto👌🏽.

FINAL NOTE

And that is, my friends, a simple way to cook a whole fish in tomato sauce with veggies. That dish packed with wonderful flavours and colours. It will blow your socks off. Just don’t ware one, and be safe, no!

Don’t be scared to cook a whole fish. It is fun and yum to try every bits of the fish.

I told you, it would be easy, right!

Now, hungry? Mise en place and crack on.

Todays’ message…

Anthony Bourdain is a famous American chef. Is the author of one of the most known book among foodies, cooks and chefs, Kitchen Confidential. It is a true tale of life in the culinary trade. You want to know secrets of the trade in a wickedly funny, inspiring memoir, this book has everything.

Here is Bourdain’s message for you…

Cooking Whole fish in red sauce - Egyptian recipes inspired