What a delight baked sea bream in parchment is, so simple, very quick, and so, so good. I had bought a large sea bream of about 1.5 lbs and, fearing it might not cook well with a classic cooking method, I decided to cook it in parchment, made with a simple sheet of parchment paper, treated to hold the cooking without burning. In the end, the result was surprising; it came out perfectly despite cooking it at 392°F to avoid leaving it in the oven too long. And as usual, when a recipe turns out really well, I happily share it with all of you, and this baked sea bream truly is. It reminds me a bit of the grilled sea bream I had on the last day of vacation in Greece last year. We stopped near the port for a bite before embarking, and the owner of a small tavern recommended fresh fish of the day, serving me a delicious, plump, grilled sea bream. It was so good, with seasoning similar to what I prepared, simple, with pepper and oregano, which Greeks adore just as we Calabrians do.
Here are many other ideas for preparing sea bream.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Sea Bream in Parchment
- 1 sea bream about 1.5 lbs
- to taste olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste oregano
- 1 shallot or onion
Tools for Preparing Sea Bream in Parchment
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps for Preparing Oven-Baked Sea Bream
Clean the sea bream well, removing the innards, which I have done at the fish market, and then at home, remove the scales. Since we’re preparing it in parchment and not grilling, the scales need to be removed, then wash and dry it well.
Dampen a sheet of parchment paper and wring it out. Line a baking tray with the parchment paper.
Drizzle olive oil over the entire length of the parchment paper, coat the whole sheet, and then place the sea bream on top.
Put some salt and the shallot or onion in the sea bream’s belly. If you wish, add a bit of oregano.
Now season the fish on the surface with olive oil and rub it in. Add salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Finally, add plenty of crumbled dry oregano to cover the entire surface.
Now close the sea bream inside the parchment paper, like forming a candy. Close well to ensure no steam escapes during cooking.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 392°F for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, bring to the table, and enjoy. It’s perfect for a nice lunch or dinner for 2 with your partner, and also delicious to enjoy with family. It can suffice for 4 people if accompanied by a complete menu with a first course and side dish.
Oregano can be replaced with thyme or other herbs.
