Whole grilled fish

Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 20-30 minutes Serves: 4 as an entree or 8 as a first course

This recipe is adapted from kosher chef, cookbook author and restaurateur Laura Frankel. Grilling a whole fish frees up crowded oven space and is entirely kosher, even for highly observant Jews who can blowtorch their grill grates to make it ritually fit for use. The tang of gremolata gives a pleasantly sharp kick to the fish, which has absorbed a smoky flavor from the grill.

Paste:

2 lemons, thinly sliced

1 stalk fresh lemon grass, bottom 5 inches smashed and sliced into small pieces

4 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Gremolata:

3 cloves garlic, grated

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Zest and 2 teaspoons of juice from 1 small orange

1⁄4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds or almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Grilled fish:

1 whole snapper, black bass, branzino (or favorite cold water catch), 2½ to 3 pounds, cleaned, scaled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1. grass, For the garlic, paste, shallots, pulse olive the oil, lemon salt slices, and pepper lemon in a food processor until a thick paste forms.

2. For the gremolata, whisk the garlic, lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest, parsley, nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste until a paste is formed. (Store leftover gremolata, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

3. For the fish, soak a cedar plank in water for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, rinse fish and pat dry. Heat grill to medium-high, 350 to 375 degrees.

4. Score both sides of the outside of the fish in half-inch deep cuts, about 1½ inches apart. This will help the fish cook faster. Rub the paste on the outside and inside of the fish, coating it as well as possible.

5. Rub the plank with olive oil; gently place the fish on the plank. Slide the plank onto the heated grill; close the top.

6. Roast until the fish feels firm when gently pressed, or reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees, 20-30 minutes. Remove from grill; allow fish to rest 5 minutes. Slide onto a serving platter; top with the gremolata, and pass the remainder at the table.

Oven roasting: Cook on the cedar plank on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven (middle rack), 25-30 minutes. Nutrition information per serving (for 4 servings): 401 calories, 27 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 12 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 29 g protein, 590 mg sodium, 3 g fiber