Whole Fish Stuffed in Grape Leaves

Fish wrapped in grape leaves is a popular summer dish in Greece, where it's grilled over a fire. It tastes good. Trust me. What happens during grilling is that the grape leaves and the skin of the fish char together to form a distinctive, crunchy and delicious outer layer. In addition, the grape leaves keep the fish nice and moist.
I used trout to make this recipe just because it looked good at the fish store. It was fresh, well cleaned, and it was on sale. Many other types of fish can be used. Try it with any fish that grills nicely. Especially delicious when using this method are small fish such as red mullet or mackerel. If using small fish, it's not necessary to stuff them. If you still want to stuff the smaller fish, you can use the recipe included here, but omit the rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of trout (two fish), cleaned of fish guts and bones
• about 16 preserved grape leaves (you may need more-it depends both on the size of the leaves and the size of the fish), drained and rinsed.
• 1 cup cooked rice
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• 1 shallot chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
• some fennel fronds

Directions:

• Rinse the fish inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.
• Cook the rice according to package directions, but do not overcook.
• Saute the scallion, green onions and garlic in some olive oil and add to the rice. Add the lemon zest and parsley, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Sprinkle some olive oil and lemon juice in the cavity of the fish. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the rice mixture into the cavity of each fish. You'll probably have some rice left over, and that's always good because you can snack on that later.
• Fold the fish closed and sprinkle it again with olive oil and lemon.
• Use about 8 grape leaves per fish. Make sure they are nice and dry from being rinsed, then lay them on your work surface, slightly overlapping. Set one of the trout on top and wrap the leaves up and over the fish. Lay another leaf or two on top of the trout to fully encase it. 
• Tie a few pieces of kitchen string around the fish to secure it. Repeat with the other fish.
• Brush the grill with oil and cook the fish until its flesh appears opaque (make a small slit through the leaves to check), about 6 minutes on each side.
• I chose to serve the trout on a bed of fennel fronds; it looked good plus it gave off a nice anise aroma!