Fish on a Bed of Vegetables

Today’s recipe, fish on a bed of vegetables, applies to any fish that goes well in the oven, blending the aroma of baked fish with the flavor of baked vegetables and of herbs and spices. If you cook fish that are around one pound in weight, about half a kilogram, then this recipe involves four of them. You also need a few potatoes, two or three courgettes or zucchinis, a few tomatoes, one red pepper or capsicum, two onions, two carrots, a bay leaf, olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a cup of wine, thyme, salt and pepper.

România Internațional, 22.07.2013, 12:15

Today’s recipe, fish on a bed of vegetables, applies to any fish that goes well in the oven, blending the aroma of baked fish with the flavor of baked vegetables and of herbs and spices. If you cook fish that are around one pound in weight, about half a kilogram, then this recipe involves four of them. You also need a few potatoes, two or three courgettes or zucchinis, a few tomatoes, one red pepper or capsicum, two onions, two carrots, a bay leaf, olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a cup of wine, thyme, salt and pepper.

The easiest way to make this is to put all the vegetables, cubed evenly, into an oiled oven dish, making a bed for the fish. Lay the well-cleaned fish on the bed of vegetables. Pour in some tomato juice and water, season to taste, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the fish is crispy on the outside.

A more elaborate method is to grill the vegetables. Slice thinly the courgettes and put them on the grill, alongside the whole tomatoes, then red onion, sliced. The rest of the vegetables you can bake in the oven, as described before. In this version, cook the fish separately, with a sauce made of lemon juice, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, a bit of water and salt. Pour this over the fish, then let it bake in the oven for half an hour or until well browned. Towards the end you can add in a cup of wine. Sprinkle periodically the fish with the sauce while baking. Serve with the vegetables on the side, with a garnish of lemon and parsley, and a side of polenta. It goes well with white wine. Enjoy!