Here in North America, you can prepare this recipe with most any variety of round fish such as trout, Arctic char, small salmon, grouper, tilapia or snapper.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 6people
Calories 133kcal
Author Stephanie
Ingredients
4whole white fishthese were mid-sized
3chopped tomatoes
1cupbreadcrumbs
1/4cupsharp white cheesegrated (mine was pecorino, but any sharp cheese would work)
1/2chopped red onion
1handfulchopped fresh basil leaves
5-7clovesgarlicchopped or crushed
Sea salt and olive oil
Instructions
Warm up olive oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Add onions first to soften, then all stuffing ingredients, until warm and well mixed.
Meanwhile, wash fish well and pat dry.
Stuff open cavities of fish with warm stuffing, and lay in a baking dish. I used parchment paper in my pan to prevent the skin from sticking and to minimize cleanup. First, spread olive oil over the parchment, then lay the fish down head-to-tail so that they fit well.
Bake at 375 for approximately 10 min. per inch of thickness. This is just a general rule. Set your timer for 10 minutes and start checking in 5 minute intervals from that point forward. Avoiding overcooking is key. Test with a fork to see if the fish flakes when you open it. Another key for me was noticing that the gill area burst open slightly and I could see a little cooked white flesh coming out.
Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt after removing from the oven.
Notes
It's a good idea to ask the fishmonger how much of a particular fish they suggest for the number of people you'll be serving. I had mine gutted which left it slit open down the middle, but the heads, tails, etc. were left on.