Baked sea bream with coriander and green olives
Cypriot crushed green olives are an irresistible delicacy, especially when served with a loaf of rustic village bread for dipping into olive oil and lemon juice flavoured with coriander and garlic. I know it may seem a little unusual at first, but these flavours pair beautifully with fish. As well as making a fantastic sauce, we will stuff the fish cavities with whole olives and bake them in the oven.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 tsp whole coriander seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 10 green crushed olives or green Kalamata olives pitted
- ⅓ cup olive oil
For the fish
- 2 medium-sized sea bream small enough to fit in your baking tray
- Approximately 20 whole green olives for stuffing the fish
- 4 sprigs of parsley
- 4 sprigs of fresh coriander
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F). In a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds and black peppercorns, stirring frequently, until they darken slightly and become fragrant (about 2 minutes). Crush the spices using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
- Cut the lemon in half. Take the zest and juice from one half. From the other half, remove the peel and white pith, then cut the flesh into pieces.
- Place the chopped lemon, lemon zest and juice, ground spices, garlic, parsley, olives and olive oil in a blender. Blend at high speed until you obtain a smooth paste.
- Place the fish in a baking tray. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of the paste over each side of each fish. Add a little paste inside the cavities, along with the whole green olives, parsley sprigs and coriander sprigs. Season the fish with salt and bake for 20–25 minutes, depending on their size. To check whether the fish is cooked, gently test the flesh with a knife; it should separate easily from the backbone.
- Remove the fish from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes, covered with aluminium foil. Serve with any remaining sauce.