Grilled Whole Black Sea Bass and Vegetables with Charred Red Onion Vinaigrette

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)

Charred Onion Vinaigrette:

4 red onions peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for fish and grilled vegetables
1 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup local honey
3 tablespoons picked fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt

Grilled Black Sea Bass:

1 large black sea bass, cleaned and scaled
1 lemon, cut into quarters
Fennel fronds

Grilled Vegetables:

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin with core intact (reserve the fronds for fish)
2 medium-sized zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 cucumbers, cut into thick batons, seeds removed
2 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters (or use cherry tomatoes)
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill
2–3 radishes or small hakurei turnips, thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat gas grill or prepare coals. Lightly oil the slices of red onion and place them on a hot grill. Allow the onions to char and even slightly burn on both sides. Remove the onions from the heat and allow to cool enough to handle. Once cool, roughly chop the onion. In a bowl, combine 2 cups olive oil, vinegar, honey, thyme and 2 tablespoons ground black pepper. Add the onions and mix together. Let the onion vinaigrette sit at room temperature until serving. (Or refrigerate overnight and bring back to room temperature before serving.)

For the black sea bass, using kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, cut off all of the fins. Place lemon quarters and fennel fronds in the cavity. Tie the fish up with the butcher twine to keep the lemon and fennel from falling onto the grill while cooking. Lightly oil and season the fish on both sides.

Place on a very hot grill. Cook on 1 side for about 6 minutes, very carefully flip the fish over and cook for another 6 minutes. Check the fish by inserting a cake tester for about 30 seconds into the center of the thickest part of the fish. Touch it to your bottom lip or back of hand: The tester should feel warm. If the fish starts to char too much, move it to a cooler part of the grill and close the lid. When cooked through, remove fish from grill, remove twine and place on a warm serving platter atop several spoonfuls of the charred vinaigrette. (Fish can sit for 10 minutes while you grill the vegetables.)

Lastly, for the grilled vegetables, set aside a few very thinly sliced fennel pieces for garnish. Brush remaining veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until vegetables are marked by the grill grates and tender. Toss veggies with a few spoonfuls of the onion vinaigrette and fresh dill to coat. Taste for seasoning. Assemble veggies on the platter aside the fish and top with lightly salted raw fennel and radish.