How to cook a flat fish
Oven cooking a whole fish couldn't be simpler. Find instructions below on how to get bone-free fillets once you've cooked the fish
It's much easier to find all the info you need to get a Good Fish Guide rating when you buy fish fillets or a whole fish. Processed seafood, like fish cakes, by law doesn't need to show this information.
Cooking a whole fish is simple - just oil and season and pop in the oven. Try topping with your favourite pesto or adding lemon slices to infuse extra flavour.
In this recipe we've used plaice, but make sure you check the sustainability rating on our Good Fish Guide, as plaice has mixed ratings depending on how and where it was caught.
Ingredients
- 1 whole plaice or another sustainable flat fish (trimmed and oven-ready – ask your fishmonger)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat oven to its maximum temperature (~230°C)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment, oil & season the paper
- Lay the fish on top and oil & season the fish
- Roast in the oven for ~12 mins
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for a few minutes
- Gently cut down to the backbone along the length of the fish and remove the top fillets from the fish
- Gently lift the tail of the fish and prise the spine and bones away from the fillets underneath
- Discard the bones and remove the fillets from the paper.