There are certain recipes that are immediately appealing, beloved by most and attainable by all. They tend to be easy, comforting, delicious-looking no-brainers that don’t require much persuading for people to make them. Think giant bowls of gloriously cheesy pasta.

Then there are the recipes that may not immediately inspire because they may seem unfamiliar or needlessly complicated, recipes that may require a bit more convincing. Perhaps approximately 600 words of convincing. Recipes like cooking a whole fish. With t he head.

Cooking a whole fish is something many people would probably file under “not for me,” only ever ordering it at a restaurant, if that. I get it: If you didn’t grow up eating it, there are a lot of bones to navigate, and those milky white, beady eyes, which are definitely looking at you. But I promise that cooking and eating a whole fish in your home is not scary or complicated (and the fish is not looking at you).