Mendip Living Aug - Sep 2021

Sea bream
baked in
paper
with garlic, olive oil,
chilli & rosemary
By Mitch Tonks
Cooking a fish ‘en papillote’, or in a bag, is an
excellent way to prepare it. The fish retains its
moistness and the other flavours that you add
really get a chance to develop with the flavours
of the fish to create something quite magical.
The combination of roasted garlic, chilli and
rosemary is a good one, as is thyme, lemon and
cumin. But you will find your own preferences.
Look for wild gilt head or black bream, or use
farmed gilt head bream, which are delicious and
perfectly acceptable. Ask your fishmonger to
scale and gut the fish and remove the head.
SERVES 2
8 garlic cloves
100ml olive oil
2 whole sea bream, weighing about 450g each,
head removed
1 small fresh bird’s eye chilli, finely sliced
4 sprigs of rosemary
50ml white wine
finely chopped parsley
salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan/180°C/Gas
Mark 4.
Place your garlic cloves, with the skin on, on
a small roasting tray, drizzle with a little of the
olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Roast for
10 minutes or until soft – you should be able to
squeeze the garlic from the skin. If not then just
cook a little longer. Set aside to cool slightly.
Turn up the oven to its maximum heat.
Cut out 2 pieces of baking parchment large
enough to enclose a fish. Lay the parchment on
the worktop and place the fish on it. Sprinkle the
chilli over the fish and place the peeled garlic
around it. Tuck some rosemary into the belly.
Sprinkle with salt and pour over the rest of the
olive oil. Fold the paper up and over the fish, and
just before you seal it up completely, pour the
wine into the corner, then finish sealing.
Place the parchment bags on a baking tray
and cook for 15 minutes. Cut the paper open,
sprinkle the fish with chopped parley and serve
straight from the bag.
THEROCKFISH.CO.UK
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