A hearty Greek-inspired recipe that's still light enough for summer evenings, there are some delicious elements to this simple dish by Carolina Doriti that are best served with a white of depth and weight like Chardonnay and aged Riesling.
Ingredients
1 whole sea bass, about 800g
4 potatoes, about 900g
80ml olive oil
6–7 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced into thin slivers
2–3 fresh parsley sprigs
1 tsp dried oregano
50ml dry white wine
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2–3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Wash the whole sea bass and pat it dry with paper towels. Slicing through the spine, cut the fish into four steaks, each about 3cm thick. Set aside the head. Season the sea bass steaks with salt and black pepper.
2. Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1.5cm thick rounds. Heat oil in a large, shallow pot or deep pan with a lid over a medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper. Sauté potatoes, turning occasionally, until lightly golden. Add garlic, parsley sprigs and dried oregano, and shake pan to mix.
3. Arrange the sea bass steaks on top of potatoes, then pour in the wine and let it infuse. Next, add enough water to cover the potatoes but not the fish (or add reserved fish head to the pan to add extra flavour to the stock). Cover pan and gently simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
4. Transfer sea bass steaks to a platter and keep warm. Remove and discard the fish head, if using. Check potatoes. If they need more time, cook uncovered for a few minutes.
5. Once potatoes are ready, move them to platter alongside the fish. Reduce sauce by continuing to simmer over a low heat. Remove and discard the parsley sprigs, then stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Cook for a further 5–10 minutes over a low heat until the sauce has nicely thickened. Divide the potatoes between serving plates, then place a sea bass steak on top of each one. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Enjoy with good bread.