Pagro or pauro baked with potatoes is a simple and fragrant seafood main course that brings out the best in this prized fish.

The pagro stands out for its white, flavorful and delicate flesh, widely appreciated in the kitchen and often compared in taste and texture to snapper.

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

Tomatoes and olives are added to complete the dish, ingredients that give freshness, saltiness and color to the preparation.

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

From a nutritional point of view, the pagro is a food of high biological value: 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 the scent of the sea to the table.

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

Ingredients

2.2 lbs pagro (pauro) (or pauro)
12 oz cherry tomatoes
14 oz potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)
1.8 oz onion (fresh (about 1/3 cup))
2 cloves garlic (large)
4 olives (black)
to taste rosemary
to taste oregano
to taste salt
to taste extra-virgin olive oil

Tools

1 Mandoline
1 Kitchen shears for fish
Bowls
1 Baking sheet for oven

Steps

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