Baked Sea Bass in Bread

This delicious dish is often served in the best restaurants in Portugal.
It's a flavorful dish as all the juices and seasonings of the fish are retained inside the bread, preventing the fish from drying out.
This cooking method makes it a fantastic dish for special occasions like Father's Day and Easter, with the advantage of being easy and requiring few ingredients.
You can use sea bream instead of sea bass.
This meal can be served with "punched" potatoes and boiled vegetables.

Neuza Costa

13 March, 2024

Ingredients:

• 250 g (8.8 oz) of plain wheat flour
• 1 packet (7.5g) of granulated baker's yeast
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Flour for dusting
• 1 sea bass, about 800g (28 oz), prepared
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of ground bay leaf
• Half a bunch of chopped parsley
• Olive oil, as needed
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• Dried oregano leaves
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast well in warm water.
   In a large bowl, place the flour and make a well in the center.
   Add a bit of salt, bearing in mind the bread will absorb the seasoning from the fish, the tablespoon of olive oil, and the yeast dissolved in water.
   Mix well with your hand and knead until it comes off the bowl's bottom.
   If necessary, dust with a little flour, without making the dough too dry.
   Finally, dust with flour.
   Cover with a towel or a cloth and set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles in size.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the fish seasoning.
   In a mortar, place the 3 cloves of garlic cut into pieces, salt, pepper, ground bay leaf, chopped parsley, and a tablespoon of olive oil.
   Crush everything until it becomes a paste.
   Finally, add a few drops of lemon and mix everything together.
3. Stuff the fish's belly with half of the paste.
   Coat the fish with the remaining paste and season both sides with a little more salt and pepper.
   Let it marinate until the dough is ready.
4. After the dough has risen, dust the counter with a little flour.
   Place the dough in the center, dust it with a little flour, and roll it out with a rolling pin.
   Dust the dough occasionally with more flour to prevent sticking.
5. Place the fish in the center of the dough.
   Wrap it well in the dough so that there are no holes.
   Place the fish on a baking tray previously dusted with flour.
   Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat some olive oil, the crushed clove of garlic, and some oregano leaves.
   Stir and let it heat well without burning.
   When the oil is flavored, remove from heat.
7. After 45 minutes and when the dough is cooked, remove the fish from the oven.
   Immediately brush it with the flavored oil.
   Serve this dish with the bread opened and accompanied by the sauce and punched potatoes.

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