This Asian-style baked rockfish is an easy, flavorful weeknight dinner that’s surprisingly simple to prepare.
Cooking a whole fish — bones and all — can seem intimidating, but it’s actually more forgiving than fillets and yields beautiful results. A whole-baked fish also makes an impressive presentation.
This recipe is seasoned with classic Asian pantry staples: toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, lime, gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder), julienned carrot and ginger, garlic, scallions, and lots of fresh cilantro. The flavors are bright and well balanced.
Ask your fishmonger to scale, gut, and butterfly the fish for you. We stuff the cavity with cilantro, scallions, and lime, scatter the aromatics on top, pour a simple soy-sesame sauce over the fish, and bake it covered in an aluminum tent until tender and flaky.
Serve it with hot sushi rice or brown rice, a squeeze of fresh lime, extra cilantro, a drizzle of soy sauce, and crushed peanuts if you like. It’s an effortless, satisfying meal.
Asian Style Baked Rockfish
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Ingredients
- 2½-3 lb whole scaled and butterflied rockfish or substitute sea bass or red snapper
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 scallions finely sliced on a diagonal
- 1 lime thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely julienned
- 1½ inch chunk ginger root peeled and finely julienned
- 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
- handful fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the scaled, gutted, and butterflied rockfish on the foil. Season the cavity and both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Stuff the cavity with the scallions, lime slices, and half of the cilantro leaves. Scatter the carrot, ginger, garlic, and remaining cilantro over the top. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and gochugaru, then pour the sauce evenly over the fish.
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Cover the fish with another large sheet of aluminum foil and fold the edges to create a sealed packet.
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Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the top foil and continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
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Serve immediately with sushi rice or brown rice, fresh lime wedges, extra soy sauce, additional cilantro, and crushed peanuts if desired.
Tips for Success:
- Adjust the cooking time for larger or smaller fish. Plan about one pound (or a bit more) per serving and bake until the fish flakes easily.