Whole Roasted Fish with Orange & Fennel

So easy to prepare, so impressive looking & so delicious!  I'd say this checks all the boxes.

I love when you can put something on the table that looks "chefy" without needing chef skills and this whole roasted fish is just the thing.  I stuff this striped sea bass with orange & fennel.  A little salt, pepper & olive oil and that's it.

I had the fishmonger simply remove the head and guts of this beautiful striped bass.  I had some oranges and fennel on hand so thought this would be a perfect paring to go with the delicate fish.  Super easy, just like I like it, uncomplicated!

I lay a bed of some orange and fennel slices down, then stuff the fish with more of the same.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with a decent amount of sea salt and some pepper.

Once roasted, the fish is moist, flaky and it's so easy to peel back the skin & pull out the whole spine of the fish, making eating the bass easier than you'd expect.

Hello beautiful!  That fennel becomes alluringly sweet and marries perfectly with the orange that becomes even more caramel like in the oven.  All together this is just a perfect bite and look how gorgeous the plating is.  Rustic, simple & glorious.

**If you don't care to use a whole fish, simply use a filet of your preferred fish, placing the ingredients on top and roasting for a shorter period of time.

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Whole Roasted Sea Bass with Orange & Fennel
Serves 2

2 whole smaller Sea Bass, heads removed & gutted (you can use snapper or other similar fish as well)
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 small head fennel, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


**If you don't care to use a whole fish, simply use a filet of your preferred fish, placing the ingredients on top and roasting for a shorter period of time.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, please a couple orange sliced and a few slices of fennel in 2 rows. 
Place the fish on top of each row then stuff the fish with remaining orange slices and fennel, scattering around any that don't fit inside the fish.

Drizzle olive oil over the fish, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, getting a bit of salt and pepper on the inside of the fish as well.

Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes or until the fish is completely cooked through and flakes easily.

To serve, pull off the skin if desired. Flip one side of the flesh over (typically using the back of a spoon) then gently pull out the spine before eating.  You may still need to watch for smaller bones