Pesce con Patate Recipe
- One 1 ½-to 2-pound sea bass, scaled, gutted, and cleaned (or two 6-ounce fillets)
- Coarse salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A few garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Aggressively season both the inside and outside of the fish with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the garlic and rosemary.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan large enough to hold the fish. Add the potato slices to the pan, one at a time, creating a single, blanket like layer. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and place the fish on top of the potatoes. Using a spatula, fold the potatoes over the fish so that it’s completely enveloped in the slices.
- Transfer the fish to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven and carefully turn it using two spatulas. Return the fish to the oven and roast until the potatoes are nicely browned and the fish is cooked through, 10 to 15 more minutes. To test for doneness, insert the blade of a paring knife or a metal skewer into the fish and then place it on top of your thumb, on your chin, or on your upper lip-it should be nice and hot, indicating that the heat from the oven has moved its way through the entire fish and it’s cooked through.
