Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra~virgin olive oil (preferably Sicilian)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
- 1 teaspoon capers, rinsed
- 5 sprigs fresh oregano
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 whole 1 1/2 to 2~pound white fleshed fish, scaled and cleaned (Bartolotta prefers occhiona or pezzogna)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 pound fingerling potatoes (about 5 small potatoes), boiled and halved lengthwise
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup fresh flat~leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400° F.
In an ovenproof saute pan just large enough to hold the whole fish, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until garlic is lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, oregano sprigs, lemon and white wine, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle the fish all over with the salt and pepper, and place it in the pan. Add the potatoes and water, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the fish has reached an internal temperature of 140° F.
Using a large slotted spatula, carefully move the fish and potatoes to a warm serving platter, and reserve, keeping warm. Return
the pan to high heat, and reduce the sauce to about 1 1/4 cups. Add the parsley, oregano leaves and the remaining 1/4 cup oil,
and season with salt and pepper. To serve, carefully fillet the fish. Place the fillets on warm serving plates, arranging some
potatoes around each fillet. Spoon the sauce over, and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Note: To fillet the fish, first take off the head by pushing a serving spoon down on the collar; the head will separate easily. Do the same with the tail. Next, pull off all the fins , which will make the skin easier to peel off. Run the edge of the spoon along the backbone, down the length of the fish, to separate the fillets and push them off the bone. Take care to remove all visible bones as you work.