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Besugo al horno. Dinner for two


That's Baked bream with potatoes and tomatoes to you and I . The recipe is from the Casa Moro book and I have made it before. It's easy to make and a treat to eat. 
The two was Lisa and I.
In the book they say that the method also works well with cod or hake steaks or filleted sea bass - these take about 15 minutes less to cook, so roast the other ingredients for 15-20 minutes before you cook the fish. 
I actually started off the potatoes for 5 minutes on their own which probably wasn't necessary but we ended up with some very nicely crisped potatoes!
I also cooked the fish, which were slightly smaller, for about 25 minutes, not the 35 the recipe suggests.

Serves four
Ingredients
2 bream (red, golden or black), each big enough for two (ie around 500g), scaled and gutted
Sea salt and black pepper
Aboiut 1kg waxy potatoes, sliced into rounds 3mm thick
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
12-18 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt
2 bay leaves (preferably fresh), halved
6 tbsp olive oil
A few parsley stalks
4 slices lemon
half fennel bulb, finely chopped (or half tbsp fennel seeds)
To serve
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon, quartered

Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. 
Season the fish inside and out. Lightly salt the potatoes. 
Put the onions, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves in a mixing bowl. Pour on half the olive oil, season well and toss together. 
Stuff the cavity of each fish with parsley stalks, lemon and fennel. 
Cover the base of a very large, roomy roasting tray with half the onion, potato and tomato mixture. Place the bream on top, then cover with the rest of the vegetables. 
Drizzle over the remaining oil, and roast in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes, or until cooked. Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon quarters and a salad.
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