Stuffing a whole fish. Super easy and super delicious.

I rarely find a person that dislikes the idea of a stuffed whole fish. Here we have a flounder that is stuffed with Spanish rice and bell peppers. A lot of people think that this process is super difficult, but really it is as simple as cooking the rice itself. The whole process here took roughly an hour in total from start to finish. 

Often times your local fish monger will take out the spinal cord for you if you ask very nicely (I recommend doing this right when you get to the store so you can shop for your other materials). You can stuff your fish with anything you would like, I used Spanish rice because I love it! A couple ideas are risotto, quinoa, barley, vegetable medley...etc. No matter what you decide to stuff this with it will turn out tremendous!

Before you cook your fish make sure to make your stuffing of choice, it will make your life a whole lot easier. Season your stuffing however you would like the final product to be seasoned for optimal flavor of the fish. Once you have your stuffing made, set aside and let cook slightly so the heat doesn't cook the fish once stuffed. At this point, you want to "dress" your fish with salt, pepper and oil on the inside and out. Typically, I like to use a high smoke point oil such as grape seed or safflower when I am roasting in the oven at a fairly high temperature. 

Once you have your fish dressed and your stuffing made you want to stuff your fish and close it so that as little of the stuffing as possible is showing (you don't want it to dry out). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you prepare for oven roasting. Place parchment paper down on a sheet tray so the bottom of the fish doesn't stick. Place your fish in the oven for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the fish. You will know when it is done if you can stick a toothpick into the flesh and nothing comes out. Enjoy and share your experience with me!