Barbecued Fish with Fennel

This is South-of-France grilling at its most elemental. A whole fish (sea bass or striped bass work beautifully) gets stuffed with slices of fresh fennel, then grilled over a bed of fennel stalks that smolder as it cooks. The stalks perfume the fish with anise smoke and keep it from sticking to the grates. No cedar planks required. Fennel is the plank.

The split-but-not-quite-through butterfly cut with the backbone removed is the traditional Mediterranean technique. It lets the fish lie flat, cooks evenly, and opens a generous cavity for the fennel filling. Ask your fishmonger to do this for you. It’s a tricky cut at home.

Butter basting throughout keeps the flesh moist over the long cook. A 7-pound fish can grill for up to an hour over medium coals, so the baste is insurance against the inevitable dry edges. Melted butter with lemon juice is traditional, but a Provençal herb butter with thyme works too.

Chef Tips

• Oil the grates hard before the fish hits. Even with the fennel barrier, a whole fish can stick, and tearing the skin ruins presentation.
• Use a hinged wire fish basket if you have one. Turning a whole fish is the most nerve-wracking part of the cook, and the basket lets you flip the entire package at once.
• Peel the skin off the top after grilling. It’s easier to remove while warm, and the flesh underneath stays moist and gleaming.

Variations

• Add orange zest and slices into the cavity with the fennel for a more aromatic Sicilian version.
• Stuff with dill, lemon slices, and parsley stems for a Scandinavian riff on the same method.
• Use trout or arctic char in place of bass for a smaller fish that cooks in half the time.