Sea Bass in Paper, or Orata al Cartoccio: If you haven't cooked it yourself, being served a fish al cartoccio is a delightful experience, because then you get to carefully pull back the paper and discover what the cook has included.
Italians will bake almost any kind of fish, including fish steaks, this way, and use their imaginations when it comes to the accompanying shellfish. Therefore, feel free to experiment. In particular...
Italians will bake almost any kind of fish, including fish steaks, this way, and use their imaginations when it comes to the accompanying shellfish. Therefore, feel free to experiment. In particular...
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- A sea bass, weighing at least 3 pounds (1 1/2 k)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 pound (100 g) fresh shrimp
- 1/2 pound (200 g) fresh clams, scrubbed and purged
- 1/2 pound (200 g) fresh mussels, scrubbed and purged
- Olive oil
- A bunch of parsley, minced
- 5 cloves garlic
- Brandy
- 8 plum tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
... if you are short on time or fresh shellfish are unavailable, you can use canned ones instead; make the sauce with the juices, and place the shellfish on the fish before you put it in the oven. The above quantities will serve 4.
Clean and scale the fish. Wash it and pat it dry. Season the cavity with salt, pepper, and a few drops of olive oil. Mince two cloves of garlic, mix it with 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley, fill the cavity with the mixture, and skewer it shut with toothpicks. Sprinkle the fish with the brandy and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, blanch and peel the tomatoes, seed them, and cut them into thin strips. Heat 1/4 cup of alive oil and flavor it by browning the remaining cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, in it for a few minutes. Remove the garlic, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and a heaping tablespoon of parsley. Simmer the sauce for about ten minutes, then stir in the clams, mussels, and shrimp, and cover it.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
Grease a large sheet of oven proof paper with half the butter, lay the fish on it, and pour the shellfish sauce over it. Dot the fish with the remaining butter, crimp the paper so as to seal the fish, and bake the fish for about 15 minutes per pound.
Open it at the table.
Clean and scale the fish. Wash it and pat it dry. Season the cavity with salt, pepper, and a few drops of olive oil. Mince two cloves of garlic, mix it with 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley, fill the cavity with the mixture, and skewer it shut with toothpicks. Sprinkle the fish with the brandy and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, blanch and peel the tomatoes, seed them, and cut them into thin strips. Heat 1/4 cup of alive oil and flavor it by browning the remaining cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, in it for a few minutes. Remove the garlic, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and a heaping tablespoon of parsley. Simmer the sauce for about ten minutes, then stir in the clams, mussels, and shrimp, and cover it.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
Grease a large sheet of oven proof paper with half the butter, lay the fish on it, and pour the shellfish sauce over it. Dot the fish with the remaining butter, crimp the paper so as to seal the fish, and bake the fish for about 15 minutes per pound.
Open it at the table.
