When flicking through a cookbook, there are a few recipes that always jump out at you. They tend to be easy and attainable from the comforting pasta’s, the fresh summer salads, but for me, it’s anything with burrata. 

Like you, there are the dishes we tend to steer clear of; they’re usually intimating, unfamiliar and more often than not, long and complicated. For many, it’s a whole fish! It could be the big googly eyes staring back at you or maybe it’s the bones, head and guts you’re not too sure on how to tackle, or it could be the fear of screwing up and wasting an entire fish. 

I promise you cooking a whole fish at home really isn’t that scary. To help guide us in the right direction, I spoke with Joel Bennetts Head Chef at Bondi’s FISH SHOP on his top tips for cooking a whole John Dory. This whole fish currently sits proudly on the new menu at the recently refurbished restaurant.

The Bondi favourite (and personally one of our favourites here at En-Route), has been refreshed into a dedicated eat-in restaurant after expanding next door with FSH MKT for takeaway orders. On the menu, you’ll still find sustainably sourced seafood paired with vibrant salads and contemporary vegetable dishes along with a few new additions. Crudités with taramasalata and bottarga, daily Crudo and the whole John Dory with preserved lemon salsa & crisp white onions.

JOEL’S WHOLE FISH TIPS:

1. “Ideally, you want to dry your fish overnight, uncovered in the fridge. This allows for excess moisture to remove from the skin, which gives you a beautiful dry & crisp finish when cooking.”

2. “When buying the fish from the monger, request them to remove the internal organs & excess fins. This will give you an easier time when preparing the fish for cooking.”

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If you’re willing to try for it yourself, find Joel’s recipe for you below.