A Thai-Style Preparation for Whole Fish

It's super easy and delicious.

I love cooking whole fish. They taste better, are a more sustainable way to eat, are cheaper than fillets, they replicate what many of us enjoy about the outdoors experience — and they’re a more honest and authentic way to cook.

In Thailand, whole fish — steamed or fried, grilled or sautéed — are on every menu in the country. They are eaten in every home. If this type of cooking is new to you, and you like Thai food, you will want to try this recipe.

Éric Ripert sent me the stunning Poissoniere pan made by de Buyer in this video. It’s an oval pan ideal for cooking fish, but any sauté pan will do. If you want to buy this pan, I encourage you to do so. Éric designed this pan, and it’s made in Vosges, a French region that’s been famous for crafting pans for centuries. Proceeds from purchases of the pan go to support City Harvest’s vital work feeding New Yorkers in need. Buy it here.

Paid subscribers: Please leave questions and comments about the recipe or anything else on your mind, and I’ll answer as many as I can on Friday. (Here’s last week’s AMA.) Let’s cook.