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Orata al forno is one of the simplest and most satisfying ways to prepare sea bream, relying on nothing more than good olive oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and a splash of white wine to produce a whole roasted fish of exceptional quality. Sea bream is prized in Italian coastal cooking for its clean, sweet, mildly briny flesh that holds together beautifully in the oven and requires no complex technique to do justice to it. The whole fish is scored to allow the herbs and seasoning to penetrate, stuffed with aromatics, surrounded by halved cherry tomatoes that release their juices into the roasting pan, and finished with white wine that creates a natural jus. The result is a dinner of profound simplicity that showcases why Italian fish cooking is among the finest in the world: quality ingredients, minimal interference, and maximum flavour.
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Servings
4 srv
Difficulty
Easy
Calories
240 kcal
For 4 serving(s)
Per serving
Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Score both sides of the fish 3-4 times with a sharp knife. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
Stuff the cavity of each fish with garlic slices, a lemon slice, rosemary, and thyme sprigs.
Scatter the halved cherry tomatoes across the bottom of a roasting dish. Place the fish on top and arrange any remaining lemon slices and herb sprigs around it.
Drizzle the olive oil generously over the fish and tomatoes. Pour the white wine into the base of the dish.
Roast for 30-35 minutes, basting once halfway through with the pan juices, until the skin is golden and the flesh near the backbone is opaque and flakes when tested with a fork.
Rest for 3 minutes before serving directly from the roasting dish, with the tomato and wine juices spooned over as a sauce.
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