Bream (pagro/pauro) baked with potatoes is a simple and fragrant seafood main course, able to best showcase the quality of this prized fish.

The bream is known for its white, flavorful and delicate flesh, highly appreciated in cooking and often compared in taste and texture to that of the snapper.

The preparation includes a base of potatoes sliced thinly with a mandoline, which during cooking become soft and slightly golden, absorbing the juices of the fish.

To complete the dish, tomatoes and olives are added, ingredients that bring freshness, saltiness and color to the preparation.

Everything is enriched with Mediterranean aromas such as garlic, oregano and aromatic herbs, which enhance the natural flavor of the fish without covering it.

From a nutritional point of view, bream is a high biological value food: rich in quality proteins, minerals and essential Omega-3 fatty acids, valuable for a healthy and balanced diet.

A tasty, light and nutritious dish, perfect to bring all the scent of the sea to the table.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Moderate
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Cooking time: 25 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Autumn, Winter

Ingredients

2.2 lb bream (pagro, also called pauro)
12 oz cherry tomatoes (about 2 1/3 cups)
14 oz potatoes (about 0.9 lb (≈3 medium potatoes))
1.8 oz fresh onion (about 1/3 cup chopped)
2 cloves garlic (large)
4 black olives
to taste rosemary
to taste oregano
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil

Tools

1 Mandoline
1 Kitchen scissors for fish
Bowls
1 Baking sheet for the oven

Steps

To prepare the bream baked with potatoes, wash and peel the potatoes, then slice them thinly with the mandoline.
Wash the tomatoes, peel them if desired, and chop them into small pieces, removing the seeds.
To the tomatoes add the fresh onion cut into pieces, 1 large garlic clove cut in two, salt, oregano, rosemary and olive oil.
In a small bowl make a mixture of chopped garlic, rosemary, fine salt and oregano.
Wash the fish (already gutted and scaled) and remove fins and tail.
On a baking sheet lay a sheet of parchment paper and spread the sliced potatoes over it.
Spread the tomatoes over the potatoes.
Take the fish, pat them dry with paper towels inside and out, and place them on the potatoes and tomatoes.
Scent the cavity with the prepared herb mixture.
Add the olives in pieces over the tomatoes and potatoes.
Sprinkle a little more salt, herbs and oil over everything.
Cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil to retain more moisture and help cook the potatoes.
Place in the middle of a preheated conventional oven at 392°F for the first 15 minutes.
Then lower the temperature to 356°F and remove the cover. Cook for about 25–30 minutes in total, although times may vary depending on the size of the fish.
To check for doneness, insert a fork into the cavity and lift.
If the flesh in the thickest part appears completely white when opened, the fish is cooked.
The baked bream is now ready.
Serve immediately.