Whole bream

TheToast

I don't see a lot of fish on this forum, but I love a whole barbecued fish. Most BGE fish recipes seem to be for planked fish, so I gave this a go: two bream at 170c (340f) for 8mins per side, lid down. Just oil, salt, pepper. On the cast iron grid (flat side so easy to lift fish without skin tearing), direct, not raised. So simple and DELICIOUS. 

The REAL hit though, surprisingly, was a little gem lettuce, halved, rubbed in olive oil, lightly salted and barbecued for 8 mins on inside, 2mins the other. It's amazing - the charred lettuce somehow ends up tasting meaty and rich. 

RRP

Looks tasty though in all the years I have fished here in the midwest I have never heard the term Bream so I had to look it up! Been eating blue gill all my life! LOL. BTW where are you located? 

RRP

Gotta admit though heads and tails still at the plate stage isn't for every one - me included! 

Jeremiah

Agree with Ron, where are you? I live in Conway, SC for 15 years. Bream fish was a staple. 

theyolksonyou

May be a while before you get an answer. He's likely in bed. 

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1190521/new-bge-owner-from-the-uk-first-couple-of-cooks#latest

Spaightlabs

@RRP - when y'all are talkin' to a southern feller be sure ya pronounce it 'brim'..

Botch

From reading a book on sushi (yes I read a book on sushi), I thought bream was a Japanese fish.  
Growing up next to Minnesota yah sure by golly, I've eaten plenty of bluegill.  

Jeremiah

theyolksonyou said:

May be a while before you get an answer. He's likely in bed. 

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1190521/new-bge-owner-from-the-uk-first-couple-of-cooks#latest

Ah. I was hoping he was SC low country. Boy was I way off. 

bhedges1987

Tasty meal there.

RRP

OK - I'll bite just like those fish did. When you serve them that way with the heads on, tails on and it even appears questionable about the fin on the back...I have to assume you gutted them, but with all the "outside wrapper" still in tact then the bones are still present. SO - how do you eat them?
asks the dumb fishermen who always guts, de-heads and de-tails plus scales his breams or brims?

caliking

Fish heads are the best part! Where I'm from,  one learns to debone fish and eat the head about the same time one learns to walk  

Nice plate,  sir! 

StillH2OEgger

Those don't look like bluegills to me, Ron, though I am unfamiliar with bream/brims. Maybe green sunfish, though even that doesn't seem quite right. Back on topic, I think I can stomach the whole fish presentation, but I've always filleted panfish (for frying, as I've never grilled panfish), which is the best combination of getting the most meat while also avoiding all the bones, guts and scales/skin. Plus, you can clean a bucket of fish reasonably quickly.

Botch

My apologies, but you guys started it.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebu0DDEZEds

theyolksonyou

@botch you owe me 14 sec of life

TheToast

@RRP I'm in the UK! Bream is quite a common white fish - same size as snapper and tastes quite similar. Just a tasty white fish. 

It's common to have seafood served whole in Italy, Greece, Spain and other places that have great port towns where restaurants just throw a load of fresh fish on a BBQ and serve it on a big platter. So I love a whole fish. It is of course scaled and gutted. I have a side plate for discard - the head and bones. The technique is to flay the fish from the bones as you eat, then lift the spine out (with head and tail) leaving you with the other underneath fillet bone free. 

Its not not as easy as a fillet but has the added advantage that a whole fish cooks slower and has more chance to char on a BBQ unlike a delicate fillet. 

Thanks everyone!

booksw

My father was from eastern europe and, growing up we always ate fish whole - offering someone your fish cheek on your fork after you have taken it out is a true sign of love- it is the sweetest and most tender part!

TheToast

@booksw I've tried cod cheeks in some fancy restaurants in the past. You're right that they're delicious!

fishlessman

RRP said:

OK - I'll bite just like those fish did. When you serve them that way with the heads on, tails on and it even appears questionable about the fin on the back...I have to assume you gutted them, but with all the "outside wrapper" still in tact then the bones are still present. SO - how do you eat them?
asks the dumb fishermen who always guts, de-heads and de-tails plus scales his breams or brims?

the tail crisps up like a potato chip, delicous. bigger fish the best part is the cheek. we panfry all brook trout head and tail on, would probably fillet that sunfish but its a pain to do alot of them, they make a great fish and chips

fishlessman

up here we solved the is it a bluegill, pumpkinseed, sunfish problem, we call all of them kibbys