# Just bought a whole fish--need help fast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792 "2008-09-23T03:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792/1 "2008-09-23T03:32:58Z")
[So this will be dinner.](http://picasaweb.google.com/raenjapan/OkinawaApartment#5249053557185399378) It’s kind of big, I’d say about 16" long and 3" thick at its widest. I have no idea what to do with it, or what kind of fish it is. Any suggestions? I got it at the Japanese fish market and no one there speaks enough English to help (and my Japanese is awful). So. I have all kinds of cooking stuff. I have a grill. I have access to banana leaves. What should I do with this thing? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792/2 "2008-09-23T06:16:49Z")
I think it’s either a red snapper or a red mullet… Either way– Red Snapper with Chili and Bananas in Banana Leaves with crispy shallots Scale the fish. Gut the snapper or mullet. Make some crispy fried Shallots. Cut some bananas in rounds. Make a paste with half of the bananas, some veg. oil, and japanese hot pepper, salt and pepper. Thourougly coat and rub the fish inside and out with the paste. Wrap the Fish in banana leaves with the remaining banana slices, sprinkle with a generous amount of yuzu before folding/closing. Steam for 10 minutes. Serve with sticky rice, and garnish with the crispy shallots. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792/3 "2008-09-23T06:28:39Z")
Or you can grill the banana leaf packet for a while… not sure about the time, maybe 20-25 minutes? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792/4 "2008-09-23T07:03:20Z")
It looks to me like [red bream](http://www.dkimages.com/discover/DKIMAGES/Discover/Home/Food-and-Drink/Ingredients/Fish-and-Shellfish/Red-Bream/Red-Bream-1.html) you’ve got there, although it could very well be red snapper. I’m not exactly sure how to tell them apart, although I do know that many fish in Asian Chicago restaurants that are sold as “red snapper” are actually red bream. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792/5 "2008-09-24T00:59:38Z")
[I ended up doing this](http://steamykitchen.com/blog/tag/red-snapper/). It was fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-a-whole-fish-need-help-fast/464792/6 "2008-09-24T07:02:14Z")
I would suggest salt-baking it.