Buying and lighting calculator · Fish and seafood

How much large whole fish do I buy and when do I light?

A sea bass or sea bream of 1 to 1.5 kg is the fish for a table of three or four: roast it whole, bring it to the table and let everyone help themselves. It is sold whole and gutted, with head, bones and skin. The FAO puts the edible flesh of sea breams at about 54% of the whole fish, and over the fire the flesh loses another 20-30% as water; hence 350 g per person to end up with about 170 g of clean fish on the plate. Unlike a roast, the time does not grow with weight but with thickness: with the kamado at 180-200 °C and a deflector, a 1 kg fish takes around 40 minutes and one over 2 kg not much more than 45. The probe rules: 60 °C in the centre.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for a sea bass or sea bream of 1.4 kg in one piece, gutted. If you are baking it in salt it does not need scaling.

Head, bones, skin and cooking loss take nearly half: 350 g raw leaves about 170 g of clean fish per person. 58-60 °C in the centre, next to the bone.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How much whole fish for 4 people?

One fish of about 1.4 kg, that is, 350 g per person. Once the head, bones and skin are out and the cooking loss is deducted, you get about 170 g of clean fish per diner. If there are six or more of you, buy two smaller fish rather than one huge one: they cook more evenly.

How long does a 1 kg sea bass take on the kamado?

About 40 minutes with the kamado at 180-200 °C, indirect, until the probe reads 60 °C in the centre; it rises a couple of degrees while resting. Salt-baked, the time is similar; crack the crust at the table. A fish over 2 kg does not need much more, around 45 minutes.

Salt-baked sea bass or roasted on the kamado?

Salt seals in moisture and the fish comes out very juicy, but without crisp skin. Without salt, with a deflector and oiled skin, you gain a smoky taste and some texture. With either method you buy the same amount and take the fish off when the probe reads 60 °C in the centre.

Other Fish and seafood cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".