Bake/Broil/Stovetop
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 3-4 lbs whole sea bass
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs fresh lemon thyme, chopped
1 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs
Tomato sauce with Nicoise olives (recipe follows)
Tomato Sauce with Nicoise Olives
Ingredients:
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and cut into fine julienne strips
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
½ cup Nicoise olives, pitted and chopped
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Sprinkle inside of fish with salt and pepper, to taste. Brush outside generously with oil.
Combine parsley, garlic and lemon thyme. Press herbs firmly into all sides of fish. Drizzle with additional oil and press on breadcrumbs.
Place fish in a lightly oiled baking pan and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Then brown under the broiler about six inches from source of heat until crumbs are crusty and golden brown.
Meanwhile in large, heavy skillet, heat the ⅓ cup olive oil. Add tomatoes, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for a few minutes, until the garlic has lost its raw taste. Add the olives and serve alongside each portion of grilled fish.
Gilbertie, Sal. Kitchen Herbs: The Art and Enjoyment of Growing Herbs and Cooking with Them: New York, Bantam Books, 1988.