Baked Whole Sea Bream Food

BASQUE BAKED SEA BREAM RECIPE

Steps:

• Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/390˚F/Gas Mark 5 for 15 minutes.
• Lay the sliced potatoes in a large baking dish, season the inside of the fish with sea salt and place the fish on top of the sliced potatoes. Make three diagonal slashes on one side of each sea bream and push a lemon wedge into each slash. Drizzle the fish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season the outside of the fish with sea salt.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes, basting the fish occasionally.
• Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp the fish and brown the potato slices.
• Whilst the fish and potatoes are browning, prepare the garlic and chilli oil to finish the dish by warming in a pan the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is warm add the garlic slices and fry slowly until lightly golden, sprinkle on the dried chilli and chopped parsley.
• Remove the fish from the oven, squeeze on the fresh lemon juice and spoon the garlic and chilli oil all over the fish.

OVEN-BAKED SEA BREAM AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Dice the tomatoes
• Bring water in a pot to boil, in the meantime prepare the potatoes
• Cut the potatoes to about 1/4-inch thick, toss into the hot water to boil for on high heat for 8 minutes, or until almost soft enough for you to piece through without difficulty. While that boils, prepare the infused oil.
• Heat a saucepan on medium heat then add in the olive oil, toss in the cloves of garlic, and let infuse for about 2 minutes. (The oil should not reach the smoking point and the garlic should not brown). If the garlic starts to brown, take them out, reduce the heat and put 2 fresh garlic cloves until the 2 minutes are through.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F
• Pour 1/4 of the infused olive oil onto the baking dish
• Drain the potatoes and lay them flat in the baking dish. If there are any leftovers with no space to lay them, you can put them against the sides of the dish
• Evenly spread 1/2 of the diced tomatoes, black peppercorns, and parsley over the potatoes. Sprinkle some salt, not too much as you will also salt the fish
• Lay the fish fillet on a kitchen paper towel and press to soak in excess water. Transfer them over the potatoes, lay them side by side, skin side down.
• Top the fish with the leftover: tomatoes, peppercorns, parsley. Pour in the wine and finish by pouring the infused oil evenly over the fish.
• Bake in the middle oven rack, If during the 30 minutes baking the fish looks a little dry, scoop some of the juices settled on the potatoes to drizzle over the fish.
• After 30 minutes, melt a knob of butter over the fish then put it back in the oven for browning. Take it out after 5 minutes.
• Once the fish is out of the oven, squeeze some fresh lemon on it and serve.

BAKED WHOLE SEA BREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius / 392 degrees Fahrenheit / Gas mark 5.
• Add half of the olive oil to a large baking tin (or enough to cover the surface).
• Layer on the fish together in the tin along with all of the vegetables and lemons. Sprinkle across the coarse sea salt and drizzle the remaining olive oil evenly over the fish.
• Sprinkle over all of the parsley and dill across the top of the dish and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes maximum. You'll know when the fish is done because the eyes of the will be opaque. If they're still translucent, the fish needs to be cooked for longer. If they're opaque and have completely sunken in, you've overcooked it. Remember that tip!

ROASTED SEA BREAM WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Prepare and clean fish. Wash and pat dry. Remove pectoral and ventral fins.
• Brush fish from all sides with olive oil. You may need about 3 tablespoons oil, but it can be more depending on size of fish. Put fish in a suited oven proofed dish (it should not be too large).
• Chop parsley (set about 1/2 tablespoon aside for topping), thyme and majoran. Pick sage leaves to pieces. Sprinkle herbs over the fish. Add bay leaf, black pepper seeds and cloves.
• Cover and marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I suggest to marinate for at least 2 hours, so that this can be done in advance. Turn fish once during this time.
• Preheat oven (390 F, 200 C).
• Take fish fish from marinade and remove as much of the herbs as possible. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Turn fish over in flour. It should only be slightly covered with flour.
• In a large skillet heat a little olive oil. Roast fish from both sides on medium to medium high heat until golden brown.
• Put fish and remaining oil in the oven proofed dish with herbs. Add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup wine. The ground of the dish should just be covered. Distribute butter in small pieces over the fish.
• Bake in oven for about 20 minutes. Fish is done when the dorsal fin can easily be removed. During baking sprinkle fish from time to time with sauce.
• Remove fish carefully from dish and place it on a serving plate.
• Remove as much herbs as possible from sauce. Add Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to taste.
• Sprinkle some sauce and remaining parsley over the fish and serve the remaining sauce separetly.
• NOTE: If you like you can increase the amount of herbs in the recipe. The more wine you use the less lemon juice is required.
• NOTE: Use a dry white wine and serve the wine with the fish.

WHOLE ROAST BREAM WITH POTATOES & OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 10 mins, cut into thick slices, then cool. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the olives, garlic, half the chopped parsley, half the olive oil, the lemon zest and salt and pepper. Tip this mix over the bottom of a medium gratin dish.
• Season the fish and place the parsley stalks in the cavity. Lay the fish on top of the potatoes and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Bake for 15 mins until the potatoes start to crisp up around the edges. Pour the wine over, then return to the oven for 10 mins more until the potatoes have browned and the fish is cooked.
• Remove the dish from the oven, scatter over the rest of the parsley and bring the dish to the table. When you serve up, don't forget the lovely white wine juices in the bottom of the dish. Delicious with a simple bowl of spinach.

ORATA AL FORNO (BAKED SEA BREAM WITH POTATOES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven (430 F, 220 C).
• Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice them (about 1/4 inch thick).
• Mix the potato slices with as less olive oil as possible. They should only be coated and not soaked. Arrange the slices on an oven-proofed dish, so that later the fish could be placed on them. Salt them to taste with salt and a little pepper.
• Put them in the oven and bake them covered with aluminium foil for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare and clean fish. Wash and pat dry. Remove pectoral and ventral fins.
• Sprinkle some salt into stomach cavity. Put two slices of lemon, a few slices of garlic and one sprig rosmary into cavity. Brush on both sides with a little olive oil.
• After 15 minutes take potatoes out of the oven and sprinkle with slices of green onions and the rest of garlic.
• Place fish on the potatoes. Sprinkle with some salt and put back in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until fish is done (Fish is done when the dorsal fin can easily be removed).
• If the fish gets to dry while baking, brush with a little olive oil.
• When fish is done take out of the oven and sprinkle with parsley and serve hot with additional slices of lemon.
• NOTE: Serve fish as a whole or fillet prior to serving.