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1
Preheat the oven to 500F.
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2
Tear off 2 pieces of aluminum foil, each large enough to wrap the fish, then put one on top of the other.
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3
Put the fish on the foil, then in a large baking dish.
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4
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and half the lime juice in the cavity, then stuff the cavity with the cilantro stems.
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5
Sprinkle all the remaining ingredients over the fish and fold the foil over to seal in the fish.
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6
Bake until the fish flakes when probed with a fork, 15 minutes or more; dont overcook.
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7
(Unfortunately, there is no way to check the fish without unwrapping, so dont check for at least 15 minutes; re-wrap if necessary.)
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8
Carefully unseal the foil (watch out for hot steam) and transfer the fish toppings and any accumulated juices to a food processor or blender.
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9
Process until the mixture forms a creamy sauce, adding some lime juice or olive oil if needed.
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10
Transfer the fish to your serving dish and top with the cilantro sauce.
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11
Serve immediately.
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12
In step 3, omit the blending of the sauce; serve the fish with the toppings and accumulated juices spooned over and around the fish.
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13
This procedure will work with any seasonings: Try wrapping fish with salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice, and butter (about 4 tablespoons, cut into bits).
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14
Use about half as much herb, about 1/4 cup; fresh parsley, dill, or chervil are best in this.
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15
Wrap the fish with salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 trimmed and sliced fennel bulb, and about 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, treated as the cilantro in the original recipe or the first variation.
