Sea Bream Baked With Tomatoes And Olives( Lithrini Plaki ) -

Sea Bream Baked With Tomatoes And Olives
( Lithrini Plaki )

For the sea bream you could substitute cod, red snapper, halibut, or even shark or tuna. It all depends on your taste and on what is available. A general rule of thumb for most of these fish is to cut very large ones into slices or steaks (or you can buy them already cut from your fishmonger). A medium-sized fish should be slashed in two or three places on each side, inserting a slice of garlic into each slash. Leave small fish whole. If the fishmonger hasn't cleaned and scaled the fish, you can do so by holding it under running water and scraping off the scales with a knife, going from the tail towards the head. Holding the fish by the back of the head, insert your left thumb (if you are right handed) under the left gill. Make a slit up the belly, to just below the gills. Insert the point of the knife sideways into the space in the jaw (just below the bottom teeth) and slit. Place your right index and middle fingers into the slit below the teeth and make a swift, hard jerk downwards, pulling out the gills and guts together in one movement.

Ingredients

6 fish steaks, about 200 g (7 oz) each, or 3 medium-sized fish (600 g [1 lb 6 oz] each before cleaning), scaled and gutted
350 g (12 oz) onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons fruity olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
500 g (1 lb) tomatoes, skinned, seeded and flesh chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, crushed
¼ teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons ouzo or other anise-flavoured liquor
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 g (4 oz) Kalamata olives, stoned and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons capers
40 g (1 ½ oz) fennel tops, finely chopped

Details

Serves: 6

Method

1.Wash and prepare your choice of fish and arrange it in a single layer in an oiled baking dish. In a heavy frying pan fry the onions in the oil over low heat until translucent.

2.Add the honey, chopped tomato, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, orange juice and ouzo and season with pepper. Cover and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken - about 10 minutes.

3.Stir in the olives, capers and fennel and pour over the fish. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F, gas 4) for about 30 minutes.

4.Taste the sauce and add salt carefully, as both the olives and the capers are quite salty.

5.Serve with great chunks of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Related food category:

• Fish and Seafood