Mullet on a bed of vegetables

Typical Romanian summer dishes

Ștefan Baciu, 23.06.2019, 12:56

Summer has already settled in Romania so an increasing number of people are heading for the resorts on the Black Sea Coast. Most of them eat in restaurants on the shore, which have a wide selection of fish dishes of every kind. One of the favourites is mullet, a fish living in schools in the Black Sea. When mature, it is between 40 and 70 cm long, and it can weigh between half a kilogram and 4 kilos.

Beyond the aesthetic aspect, todays recipe, mullet on a bed of vegetables is a very tasty dish, blending the flavor of the vegetables with that of baked fish.

You need 4 mullets about half a kilo each, a few potatoes, two or three zucchinis, a few tomatoes, one green pepper, two onions, two carrots, bay leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, a glass of wine, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.

The vegetables can be baked or roasted. The fastest method is to put the evenly chopped vegetables in an oiled oven tray, then lay on top the scaled and cleaned out fish. Pour over the vegetables tomato juice or a bit of water, season to taste and set the tray in the oven for about 45 minutes, until the fish is done.

One more elaborate method is to grill the vegetables. Slice the zucchinis lengthwise into thin strips, along with whole tomatoes and onions. The other vegetables are best baked in the oven.

Bake the fish separately in a tray, pouring over it a sauce made of lemon juice, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, water and salt. Bake for about half an hour. Towards the end, add a glass of wine to the mix.

You can decorate with slices of lemon and parsley leaves. Pour over it the sauce in the tray, with a garlic sauce, with a side of polenta and a glass of dry white wine, well chilled. Enjoy!