Baked Sea Bream Fillets on Potatoes with Fennel, Tomatoes and Olives
For an impressive main dish try this fillet of sea bream baked over a bed of potatoes and fennel. Finish with a generous serving of the buttery wine sauce.
Introduction
If there was a fish dish that brought me back to Puglia every time I ate it, it would be this one. I have eaten this many times in restaurants and it tends to be served as a whole fish and served at the table. This recipe is for a filleted fish, making it perfect if you don’t want to fiddle around with the fish carcass. Gilthead sea bream is one of my favourite fish – it is the perfect combination of being slightly oily, with a wonderful sweet taste and firm, flaky texture. Whenever I see it on a menu, I always order it.
Ingredients
| 12 | Charlotte or Roseval potatoes, peeled |
| 1 large | fennel bulb |
| 1 | whole sea bream, scaled, filleted, lightly scored on the skin side |
| 2 tbsp | extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for rubbing on the fish |
| 2 heaped tbsp | pitted black olives, preferably Taggiasche |
| 200g (7oz) | Datterini or cherry tomatoes, halved |
| 50ml (2fl oz/scant ¼ cup) | dry white wine |
| 100ml (3½fl oz/scant ½ cup) | fish stock |
| 50g (1¾oz/3½ tbsp) | unsalted butter |
| 1 tbsp | miniature capers in vinegar, drained |
| 2 tbsp | chopped flat-leaf parsley |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes until just tender; drain, cool down and cut into 5mm (1/4 in) slices.
While the potatoes are cooking, cut the fennel bulb vertically in half, then cut each half into 1cm (1/2 in) half-moon slices. Cook the fennel in another saucepan of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes until tender; drain.
Heat a non-stick ovenproof frying pan to a medium heat. Rub olive oil on the skin side of the bream fillets and place in the hot pan skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, place the potato slices in a separate pan with the olive oil and cook on each side so they start to colour. Add the fennel and fry for a minute longer. Season the bream with salt and black pepper, then place skin side up on top of the potatoes and fennel. Scatter the olives and tomatoes over the fish. Place the pan in the oven for 5 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, make the sauce. Put the wine and fish stock in a small pan and reduce to a third, then add the butter, capers and parsley. Check the seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste, and keep to one side.
Take the bream out of the oven and plate up, placing the potatoes and fennel on the bottom of the plate and the bream on top. Spoon over the sauce and serve.
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