Succulent and savory, this whole sea bream shares the casserole with young potatoes, black olives, pine nuts and herbs. I often turn to this cooking method where I place the whole fish on a bed of veggies, season it with spices and aromatics and cook over the stove top. It’s got to be the easiest and one of the most rewarding ways to prepare a fish dinner – quick, fuss-free and fool-proof. The best thing? You can try different combinations of spices and herbs to get new flavours every time! (such as for example this Chinese Style Sea Bass, Japanese Style Red Snapper or Seabass with Lemon and Thyme).
The Flavour Affair:
Sea Bream + Black Olives + Garlic + Pine Nuts + Fresh Herbs
This combo is inspired by the cuisine of coastal Liguria in Northern Italy. Savory olives, buttery garlic, earthy pine nuts, sweet aromatic basil and peppery parsley create vibrant, bold flavours.
Sea Bream: sea bream is a type of white fish with meaty flesh and mild, sweet-ish flavour. A one kilo fish is enough to feed moderately hungry four persons. Ask the fish monger to clean it inside and scale.
Black Olives: native to Liguria Taggiasca olives would be most authentic in this recipe. Taggiasca olives are often praised for their nuanced flavour profile that is rich and fruity with a hint of bitterness. If you cannot find them where you live, then easily available Kalamata olives make a good alternative.
Garlic: essential to Mediterranean cuisine, cooked garlic imparts buttery, sweet flavours and a distinctive aroma.
Pine nuts: pine nuts bring in rich, nutty notes and a more prominent Mediterranean feel. They are also full of healthy fats, protein and magnesium.
Fresh herbs: Italian flat-leaf parsley and fresh basil are obvious choices here. Basil and pine nuts are a classic match being the base of the pesto sauce that also originates from Genova in Liguria.
Preparation tips for whole sea bream:
- The main tip is exactly that – cook the fish whole! It is soooooo easy and perfect for less experience home chefs. The skin keeps the juices in, and the bones add richness to the taste. Even if you keep it on for a little longer, the fish will not dry out.
- Stuff the inside of the sea bream with a few parsley and basil leaves and pop in a couple of olives. This will help infuse the fish with flavours.
- Cut the potatoes into circles that are about 4mm thick. It will then take them approximately the same time to cook as the fish, +/- 20 minutes.
- To check the fish for readiness, make a cut on the skin and open flesh with a fork. It should be soft and opaque.
- Once the fish is done, use a fork to remove the skin. Next, use a spatula to get under the flesh by the tail side and slowly slide it forward. The flesh will easily get off the bones, leaving you with a nice juicy fillet.
- Check that there are no bones left in the fillets before serving it.
Looking for more one-casserole fish dinner ideas? Check these out:
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Whole Sea Bream with Potatoes and Olives
Equipment
- 1 large iron-cast casserole
Ingredients
- 1-1.2 kg sea bream cleaned and scaled
- 4-5 potatoes sliced into about 4mm circles
- 4 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1/2 cups black olives pitted
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- A handful fresh parsley leaves
- A few basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
- 2 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- Brush the fish with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and put a couple of basil leaves, a stalk of parsley and a few olives inside.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil to medium in a large non-stick skillet or casserole. Arrange the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and and tuck in the garlic cloves.
- Place the sea bream on top of the potato bed.
- Scatter over the olives, pine nuts, parsley and basil leaves.
- Cover, turn the heat down to low and cook on stove top for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
- To serve, carefully remove the skin and fillet the fish using a spatula or a turner.
Notes
- Do not cut the potatoes too thick. The fish needs just about 20 minutes and should not be done way before the potatoes are cooked through.
- You can substitute sea bream with other similar white fish, such as sea bass, snapper or tilapia.
- If you prefer, you can also cook the fish in the oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes.
