Recipe Ingredient
- 4 whole sea bream (each about 1lb/500g), cleaned, scaled and heads removed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp combined minced oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley
- 2/3 olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 loaf focaccia
- 3 tbsp salt-packed capers, soaked, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup torn mint leaves
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 lemon, cut into eighths
Instructions
- Fillet the sea bream with the tail still attached, as if it were on a hinge. Then make 3 parallel slashes about 1/4-inch deep in the skin of both sides of the fillet.
- Rub a generous pinch of salt into each incision, then open the fish and season the inside with salt and pepper.
- Mix the minced herbs with 4 tsp of the olive oil and massage the inside of each fish with it.
- Reassemble the fish and set aside in the refrigerator.
- In a skillet over low heat, gently sweat the garlic in 1/2 cup of the olive oil until it wilts.
- Meanwhile, with your fingers, pull crouton-sized morsels of focaccia from between the crusts until you have about 1/2 cup.
- Remove the garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon and discard it. Raise heat to mediumlow, add the focaccia, and cook for five minutes or until the croutons are crisp on all sides.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the croutons to a plate, salt lightly and set aside. Allow oil to cool to room temperature.
- Pre-heat the grill on medium heat. Oil the grill with the remaining olive oil, place the fish on the grill at an angle, rotating them after 2 to 3 minutes to cross-hatch them. After another 2 to 3 minutes, carefully flip them over.
- Cook the second side, without rotating for about 4 minutes. Arrange the fish cross-hatched side up on 4 warm plates to rest and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the reserved garlic-crouton oil with the capers, mint, parsley, and chives, toss well. Spoon the mixture over the fish. Top each fish with a few croutons and 2 wedges of lemon.
