Smoked whole fish

Buying a whole fish at the fish market is a jump ahead of buying fillets from the fish shop. It's an economical way of buying fish and cooked whole it makes great table presentation and is a rustic way to eat the catch. You will pay for the whole fish in weight, but the market will gut, scale and fillet it for you at no extra charge. If you're not sure which fish is best or freshest ask the person behind the counter, they love talking about their product.

Ingredients

2 kgs	Whole fishes (Main)
2	Lemons, slices to stuff and wedges to serve
2 handfuls	Fresh herbs
2 Tbsp	Butter
1 serving	Sour cream, mixed with some horseradish cream to taste

Directions

1. Buy a 2kg whole fish and get it gutted and scaled.
2. Buy some manuka smoking sawdust (from fishing supply and hardware shops).
3. Take a baking dish, line it with tin foil, sprinkle a thin layer of sawdust on the base, and place a cake rack in the pan over the sawdust .
4. Stuff the cavity of your fish with lemon slices, herbs, salt and pepper, and dab some butter or oil inside the cavity and on the top of the fish. Sit it on the rack.
5. Seal the whole dish by wrapping it well with tin foil.
6. Put it on an element and turn up the heat for 5- 10 minutes, which will set the sawdust smoking.
7. Place the sealed dish into a moderate oven for another 20 mins. When you remove it and unwrap it you will have a whole smoked cooked fish.
8. Serve with lemon wedges, prepared horseradish cream mixed with sour cream, some baked potatoes and a salad.