Our Favourite Fish

When we eat fish at home we nearly always go for the gilt-head bream or tsipoura. It's a lovely meaty fish with fairly large bones that are manageable, which are fairly large and very manageable. The tsipoura is generally considered the best tasting of the breams and is delicious when grilled, fried, steamed or barbecued. They are very good frozen, but, of course, fresh is always best and almost always available in your local fish market. This month we have two suggestions to try . . . very simple but ever so tasty.

This recipe is cooked in the oven, and you can add any flavours you want. For two people you will need:

2 potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes sliced, or use small vine or cherry tomatoes left whole
1 large onion sliced
Fresh herbs (we used oregano, rosemary, parsley and basil from the garden)
2 lemons
Salt and pepper
2 Gilthead bream, prepared, rinsed out and de-scaled
White wine or chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 170°C

Parboil the potatoes for five minutes then drain and, when cool enough to handle, layer them along with the onion and tomatoes into a dish large enough to lay the fish side by side. Chop or roughly tear the herbs and put in with the potatoes etc., and put some inside the fish. Slice one of the lemons, and put several slices on top of the potato mixture and others inside the fish. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the fish on top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Pour enough wine or stock to just cover the potato mix in the dish.

 Cover loosely with foil to allow fish to steam and take in the flavours of the herbs. Put into the oven and cook for about 45 minutes, but test the potatoes to make sure they are soft and the fish to make sure it is cooked through.

Serve on a plate, and, if you wish, you can reduce the liquid and thicken to make an accompanying sauce. Serve with quartered lemon.

For a variation, instead of the tomatoes, slice a fennel bulb and use fresh dill for a completely different flavour. Delicious!

For the summertime on the outdoor grill, we suggest this easy way to barbecue the bream. Use two pieces of foil at double thickness and coated with a little olive oil. Divide bunches of parsley and dill into four and slice a bulb of fennel thinly. Put one quarter of each of the herbs and fennel onto the foil and the remainder inside two prepared breams. Slice two lemons, putting some inside the fish and the remainder on top. Make a dome with the foil and fold it over at the top to seal it.

Put the parcel onto a barbecue with medium coals and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. Open the foil and cook for another 10 minutes, but take care not to burn the fish.

Serve with a crisp green tossed salad and cold bottle of white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, which goes especially well with both these dishes.