Daurade Rôtie à la Niçoise

The Mediterranean has a voice, and it speaks through the Daurade Rôtie à la Niçoise. This is the dish of coastal villages, of fishermen returning at dawn with their silver-scaled bounty, of grandmothers who know instinctively that the best fish needs little more than olive oil, tomatoes, and the patience to let heat work its magic.

 

Ingredients:

1 whole sea bream (daurade), about 800g, cleaned and scaled

300g ripe cherry tomatoes

100g Niçoise olives, pitted

2 tablespoons capers

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Fresh thyme and rosemary

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Score the fish deeply on both sides—three cuts per side, angled toward the head. Rub generously with olive oil, season inside and out with sea salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with herbs and garlic slices.

 

Arrange the tomatoes and olives in a roasting pan large enough to hold the fish without crowding. Place the fish on top, drizzle with more olive oil, and scatter the capers. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the skin is crisp and the flesh flakes easily.

 

Transfer to a serving platter, spoon the pan juices over everything, and finish with fresh basil torn by hand. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a chilled rosé from Provence.