Baking Fish Whole
A pinch of salt or to taste
1 fish
a pinch of ground black pepper
6-8 slices of salt pork
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of flour
Clean the fish from the scale and wipe the fish outside and inside with a clean paper towel and dry it thoroughly.
Stuff the fish with your favorite and sew it together with a thick needle and a thick thread.
Cut the gashes three inches apart across the sides of the fish- from the spine down to the belly, and insert a slice of salt pork into each gash. My grandmother used to repeat- never substitute bacon in each gash for the salt pork. You need a real fat to soften the dry meat of the fish. Sprinkle the fish it with salt and black ground pepper.
If the fish is not oily, rub it with melted butter. Dredge your fish with flour ,all purpose wheat flour will do fine.
Tie your fish with a twine or linen thread to shape it like letter S, and place it on a greased tin sheet and put your fish into a pan.
Bake your fish in a moderately hot owen it until the flesh separates easily from bone allowing from 12 to 15 minutes per pound of fish.
Baste your fish every 10 minutes while cooking, and when your fish is done, remove it intto a hot big white ceramic platter, take all the the strings off from your fish and serve it with any fish sauce.