Cooking whole fish and how to serve

Barbecue Fish

Fish should be well gutted by your fishmonger

Have the barbecue on high. Wash the fish thoroughly and dry again with kitchen paper
Brush with oil all over.
Grill 6 or 7 minutes per side. Thinner fish need less time

Place the cooked fish on a cutting board. Have a dish or plate ready to put discarded pieces and bones. Use the edge of the fish slice to hold the fish in position. Cut off the head, usually there is a natural angle to follow. Then cut off the tail.
Next we will remove the fins and more importantly the bones that are connected. Place the knife just below the fin and pressing slightly pull the fin away from the body. Many small bones will come away with the fin. However there may still be some inside to be dealt with later. Do the same with all the upper and lower fins.
Next put the knife horizontally through the fish and feel for the central bones. If you go just underneath the bones and go along the full length, you now have the fish in 2 halves. Use the fish to flip the top half over so the 2 halves are now side by side..
There will be a corner of each half that is white but not meaty. This can can be cut away.
Finally check each half of the fish for any bones that have been missed and lift out.
Finally, to serve, lift the flesh of the fish with the fish slice and if you are serving without skin, the skin should come away at this time. If serving with skin, then flip up to serve skin side up, otherwise life on the plate as is.
There will seem to be a lot of waste. Waste materials can be used to make a fish stock or Bouillabaisse. Or if further deboned can be fed to your pet - a healthy option.