Grilled Porgy With Lemons and Scallions
Updated May 23, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 5lemons
- 4whole porgies (1½ pounds each), boned and gutted (see Tips)
- Salt
- 8sprigs fresh thyme
- 4sprigs fresh oregano
- 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill grates
- 2bunches scallions, trimmed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
200 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 382 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare a charcoal grill until coals are ashed over and hot, or heat a charcoal grill to high. Or heat a broiler (see Tips).
- Step 2
Cut 3 lemons into ½-inch-thick slices and discard any pits. Pat fish dry inside and out and season inside with salt. Place the lemon slices inside the fish, then place the thyme and oregano on top of the lemon. If the fish don’t close around the stuffing, tie fish closed in two places with kitchen twine. Brush fish on both sides with 4 tablespoons olive oil.
- Step 3
Toss scallions with a pinch of salt and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cut the 2 remaining lemons in half, removing any seeds.
- Step 4
Scrub the grill grate clean, then rub with an oiled kitchen towel or wad of paper towels. If your grill can fit everything, place everything on at once. Otherwise, start with the scallions and lemons, cut sides down. Season one side of each fish with salt and place salt side down on the grates next to the scallions and lemons. Grill (covered if using a gas grill), turning once, until the lemons and scallions are softened and lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes for the scallions and 5 minutes for the lemons. Grill the fish until the skin releases naturally from the grate, about 6 minutes, then salt the other side, cover and grill until cooked through, about 6 minutes longer. Test for doneness by slipping a paring knife into the center of the fish; it should feel hot when carefully touched to your lower lip or the inside of your wrist.
- Step 5
Spread scallions on a serving platter and set lemon halves around the sides. Transfer the fish to the platter, remove the string and serve.
Tips
- Porgies are also known as orata, dorade and sea bream. Whole bluefish, small red snappers or black sea bass can be substituted. Ask the fish monger to gut, bone and scale the fish, creating a large cavity for stuffing.
- You can broil everything on sheet pans about 6 inches from the heat source. You’ll have to work in batches, so start with the scallions and lemon and then broil the fish, flipping everything once halfway through.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jason
The article text notes the many, many bones as well as Dan Barber's advice to cook bone-in and lift filets off after. By contrast, the notes suggest I "ask the fish monger to gut, bone and scale the fish". I can ask--but he can't do it. Since it seems key to the recipe, can you tell me how to bone this fish (while keeping it entirely intact for stuffing)?
Deborah
We don’t get porgi on the west coast. What is a good substitute?
Katie of Portuzelo
I used wild fennel fronds and cooked as directed! It was incredible!
Pamela
My family loves porgy, bones and all. We find it here in northern Virginia at the Asian supermarkets H-Mart and Lotte, and sometimes at Wegmans. Also when we visit Queens, NY at all the fish markets that cater to Caribbean people. Haven’t tried grilling it before and will be trying this recipe.
David White
I had the same question. How do I bone it and keep it whole?
George
West coast substitute would be small rockfish or surf perch. But you'd have to catch them yourself. And surf perch can be kind of mushy. Farmed Branzino from Europe are actually the best choice here. Whole foods.
BobB
Jason is right. You cannot gut, BONE and scale a fish, THEN stuff it. All you have left are fillets. But as that article notes "the simplest way to debone is to grill or roast porgy whole: The cooked fillet will easily lift off the skeleton." So just skip the "bone" part and roast whole after gutting and scaling.
Julie Robinson
It is a little tricky, but boning a fish and leaving it whole is very doable. I have done this with whole salmon to stuff with herbs and lemons, then tied and cooked on the grill. Removing the head makes this easier. Slip your boning knife under the bones and slice the meat away from the bones. From the inside, carefully carve around the backbone, without cutting through the skin. The whole bone carcass should lift out, leaving the meat and skin to stuff and cook whole.
BobB
Most whole salmon are larger - 10-12lbs, 20+ inches. Porgies are very much smaller, thinner. A couple of pounds at the most. I checked them out today at my local fishmonger; deboning and keeping it intact does not look possible. As the article says "the simplest way to debone is to grill or roast porgy whole: The cooked fillet will easily lift off the skeleton."
GiGi
Red snapper is a good substitute
Andy Dufresne
Sounds delicions, but are we really supposed to stick a paring knife in the fish and then touch it to our lip to test for doneness? Surely there's gotta be a better way.
Denis
Boning should be like making sole in brown butter. Cook the fish thoroughly and you should be able to remove bones by starting from the backbone and “unzipping” the fish. This is a table-side effort in French cuisine. I admit to not being an expert. As for cooking, using a fish basket would allow for covering the fish with herbs/scallions and lemon without worry about sticking or breaking the partially cooed fish during flipping.
Jason
The article text notes the many, many bones as well as Dan Barber's advice to cook bone-in and lift filets off after. By contrast, the notes suggest I "ask the fish monger to gut, bone and scale the fish". I can ask--but he can't do it. Since it seems key to the recipe, can you tell me how to bone this fish (while keeping it entirely intact for stuffing)?
nick
Jason, when in doubt go to Youtube. Many vids on preparing whole fish.
Bob S
"can you tell me how to bone this fish (while keeping it entirely intact for stuffing)?" I don't think it can be done. Fortunately I know many people who cook porgies whole, bone in. The recipe doesn't recommend scaling and with porgy it's optional.
Deborah
We don’t get porgi on the west coast. What is a good substitute?
Liz
The notes suggest bluefish, red snapper, or black sea bass
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