"Every time I make this, we all devour it and say the very same thing: why don’t we eat this more often? Don’t be scared of filleting it on the table, because in fact it’s so much easier to do when cooked this way, and I’ve outlined the steps below. This is a wonderful dish to enjoy with garlic green beans."
Whole Baked Sea Bass
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- Recipe Card
Prep time 10mins
Cook time 30mins
Serves or Makes: 4
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 2 onions, halved and sliced
- 3 tbsp 3 olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 kilogram whole sea bass (or 2 x 500g), gutted and scaled
- Pinch of flaked sea salt
- Grind of black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 100 milliliter good white wine
- 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°c.
Step 2
Layer the sliced onion down the centre of a large roasting tin, then drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the top. In a small bowl, mix the sliced garlic with the remaining olive oil.
Step 3
Massage the fish gently with the garlic oil then place it on top of the onion layer; this way it won’t stick to the bottom of the tin. Season the cavity of the sea bass with salt and pepper then stuff a lemon slice inside with the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary.
Step 4
Season the top of the fish liberally, then tie a few lemon slices in place on top with some kitchen string. Pour the white wine around the fish into the tin.
Step 5
Place into the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. If you are using smaller fish, you can roast them for half the time. Transfer the fish to a chopping board and any pan juices into a small bowl. Discard the onions.
Step 6
I like to serve this at the table and dish it all up there. Working from the head to the tail, gently cut along the backbone with a spoon to separate the flesh from the bone. Remove the backbone, fins and bones along the belly. Gently separate the head and tail.
Step 7
Carefully lift off the top fillet and transfer it to a plate. Remove the head and spine by simply lifting them out and discarding the bones. Gently lift the second fillet onto the same plate. Drizzle with the pan juices before serving with the lemon wedges.