I'm supposed to eat more fish.

I think I went off fish in my college days after years of forced child labor preparing weekly for the infamous "Fish Fry Fridays."

We bought our fish whole, and cleaned and boned huge amounts of Northern Pike and Haddock. I cleaned and fileted unreal amounts of whole fish. In college, I got "Filet-O Fish" and "Mrs. Paul's fish sticks" out just like everyone else. It all tasted like, well, not fish.

It certainly didn't taste like a fresh snapper with lemon and dill or a broiled grouper or a fresh smoked local rainbow. These fish, prepared well, verily earn their own food category in your soul.

Certain fish dishes I seem to remember very well.

A whole Red Snapper Vera Cruz cooked over an open fire with a pineapple/apple/ red pepper salsa. A true Dover Sole with about two whole lemons and a 1/2-pound of butter on it, and Bo's grouper sandwich on the dock's in Key West. Yea… that's fish.

But I'm in Virginia, so finding a variety of fresh whole fish, without paying a premium, is a chore. We're all subject to that white, spongy, farm-raised-chemical-fed, unknown stuff that's attached to blue Styrofoam. But that's just my own opinion, and it seems the Gorton's Fisherman has a road or something around here named after him.

Buying a whole fish is good for a couple of reasons–the big one is that fish stays fresher longer if intact. The other being that, per pound, it's substantially less expensive. Doing five minutes of labor yourself can save a few bucks and generally provide a better product.

If you haven't cleaned, and de-boned a fish before, go to http://www.i4at.org/lib2/clnfish.htm and learn.

While you're at it, learn to filet one also; that's even easier. We, as a species, have been doing it for centuries. Think of it as your own little CSI episode. This skill has a high "cool factor" for kids. Besides, we've gotten so lazy with portioned, ready-to-eat food that we forget simple basics.

All the major chains, for the most part, will have two or three types of whole fish on ice, But Thursdays at the Bestway Supermarket, Grade Market Hispaniola in Herndon, VA, is a whole different ballgame.

Bestway is a chain of three stores in our area, with the Herndon store being closest to Middleburg. It's one of the few Hispanic groceries store in the area with a strong ethic on freshness and food quality.

As you enter, moved toward the very back of the store on the left, the seafood section. You'll naturally smell it first; it is, after all, a fish section.

Dozens of clean stainless steel tubs filled with fresh whole fish appear before you. A variety of snapper, trout, whole flounder, spanish mackerel, buffalo, rockfish, something called a "Porgie" and fresh croppies, all fresh with crushed ice over them.

Many of them swam the day before.

Ask for Charlie.

Just yell, he'll yell back.

He can find you the perfect specimen.

Ask him how to cook it, and he'll tell you, "Fry it!" Seems Charlie fries everything. (Remember when looking for fresh fish the telltale sign is a clear eye. I was taught that with fish, cloudy eyes usually means it's been there awhile. It's not scientific, but it works. Call it a personal standard. )

I grabbed a couple of whole lane snapper that were so fresh they winked at me. Also some rainbow trout and three whole flounder. There are certain types of fish we've never had–and in some case it's best we don't–but a little variety can open a new culinary door for you.

Whole Trout Foil Wrap

4 (whole) 10-inch trout
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 lemon
2 sm scallions (green onions), chopped
1/2 tsp thyme chopped
1/2 bunch fresh mint, chopped
2 peaches, off the pit
4 tsp butter
Salt and pepper
Hot sauce to taste

This is incomparable when cooked in a campfire. One of my favorite studies has always been open-fire cooking. It requires a unrefined, minimalist's effort to prepare an entire meal on an open raw flame. I utilize rocks around the rim to build a makeshift flat oven and feed coals around it. If the fish is to be a sizable one, be sure to take enough foil in one piece; if the servings are to be individual for each guest, then cut the foil accordingly.

Chop the vegetables into fairly small pieces–that way they are done when the fish is ready. Clean the trout and sprinkle inside and out with lemon juice, salt, pepper. Sauté vegetables in butter for 3 minutes until about 70% cooked. Mix vegetables in a bowl with herbs and peaches and stuff each fish before wrapping loosely in foil.

Place in open fire (campfire) ashes, turning over a few times to make sure each side cooks evenly. Expect a good 20 minutes of cooking. Or, bake on a baking sheet in a 400-degF oven for 13-15 minutes. Then carry them to the tent in the backyard.

Broiled Flounder with Parmesan Lather Crust

3 (whole) flounder, or 6 whole fillets
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese, one with good pomposity
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 tbs chervil
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp prepared horseradish, drained

Filet the flounder. Preheat the broiler and prepare the broiler pan with nonstick pan spray. Arrange the fish on the broiler pan. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, Parmesan, mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish. Whisk well and lather the mixture over both sides of the fillets.

Broil about 8 inches from the heat (NOT the top rack!) turning once, for about 6 minutes. A brown crust will form on both sides, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

If you have a good German Alsace you've been saving, now's the time.

Baltic Stuffed Lane Snapper

Eggs, butter and heavy cream. If there's away to make fish un-healthy this is it. I gave this an esoteric name because it sounds better than "My grandmother's only fish dish she would make if she got stuck feeding you on a Friday." Any semi-light-colored meat fish will work.

4 (whole) snapper* (I used lane snapper)
2/3 cup rice
1 cucumber–large, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 bunch spinach, cleaned and chopped
1/4 tsp salt (for cucumbers)
2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
1 tbs salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 tbs heavy cream (to 3 tb if needed)
1/4 lb butter (one stick)
6 tbs dry breadcrumbs
1/2 -cup boiling water

* Remove head leave the tail on fish.

We're cooking for four people here.

Cook the rice as you would normally until it is still slightly firm, then set aside. In a small bowl, toss the chopped cucumber with 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes, and drain and dry a bit with a paper towel.

In a small saucepan, melt 2 tbs of butter, add onions and cucumbers and sauté until soft and transparent but not brown. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add chopped eggs, cooked rice, parsley, spinach and chives. Season with salt and pepper and moisten with heavy cream, adding more if the stuffing seems too dry. Mix together lightly but thoroughly.

Wash the fish inside and out under cold running water and dry thoroughly. Fill the fish with the spinach-rice stuffing; close the opening with toothpicks and crisscross kitchen string around the toothpicks, as you would lace a turkey. Presentation is always key.

Preheat oven to 350 degF.

In a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to hold the fish, melt 1/4 lb butter; place the fish in the baking dish, raise the heat, and cook for about 5 minutes until it is golden brown. Carefully turn over the fish and brown the other side. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until fish feels firm when pressed lightly with a finger.

Serve like my grandmother did, with 13 lbs of mashed potatoes on the side.

Watch for bones!!!

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