Oven-Cooked Entire Fish in Basque Style

Oven-Cooked Whole Fish in Basquaise Style

Grab a pan and let's dive into a finger-lickin', bone-in fish bonanza! Let's be honest, the head and the meat right behind it are the most flavorful bites of fish out there. So, buckle up and get ready to shake off those culinary chains. Let's take a trip down memory lane with this delicious recipe...

Yield: 2 servings of pure, unadulterated fishy goodness

Ingredients (12)

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
4 tablespoons of ol' olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced like a hotel lobby sign
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into fine strips
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into fine strips - it's about as easy as peeling a banana backwards
4 smashed garlic cloves, like flattening a pancake on a griddle
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves plucked like a plucked guitar string
1/2 cup of vino blanco, preferably from a cheap bottle - the cheaper, the better, amirite?
1 cup of humble chicken broth or light chicken stock
A 2-pound red snapper, scales removed, gills removed, fins clipped, guts averted, but otherwise left intact - remember, the closer to the bone, the more bone to gnaw on!
The juice of a single lemon
4 sprigs of flat parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Heat up the oven to 400°F. Put those potatoes in a small pot, cover them with water, add salt to taste, and bring them to a boil. Cook 'em for 10 minutes. They should still be firm, but ready to party. Drain them and put them aside.
In a roasting pan, warm up the olive oil until it sizzles. Drop in the onions and peppers, and cook them over a medium flame until they're soft and browned like a well-tanned junkie. Add the garlic and thyme, cook them for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon like you meant business. Add the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. After the broth and vegetables have been simmering for 5 minutes, place the fish in the pan, add the potatoes, and dump the whole thing in the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes, baste the fish with the pan juices 2 or 3 times during cooking.
Change the oven's settings to broil, remove the pan from the oven, and remove the fish from the roasting pan. Place the fish on a baking tray and put it beneath the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until the skin turns brown and crispy like an overcooked bacon strip. Keep an eye on it: You don't want it to burn faster than Tony Abbott's political career. Transfer the fish to a serving platter. Add the lemon juice to the bell pepper and potato mixture, season it with salt and pepper, and heat it up for a quick minute. After giving it a good stir or two, spoon the mixture over and around the fish. Garnish with the parsley and serve it immediately, allowing your guests to indulge in the deliciousness of the cheeks, the meat at the collar, and the flaky bits between the bones. Feel free to eat with your hands, just like Popeye after consuming a can of spinach.

Now let's get creative, shall we? Here are a few ways you can liven up this dish...

Beverage pairing: A brisk clean white like a strapping lumberjack straight from the País Vasco or Basque region of northern Spain would be the perfect marriage for this roasted fish. Txakoli or Txakolina, a crisp, sparkling white with floral undertones from the Basque area, would be an ideal match. Give the 2004 Etxaniz Txakoli Txomin a whirl, if you dare!

For a seafood twist, consider adding mussels or clams to the bell pepper and potato mixture, creating a Basquaise with a sweeter flavor profile.
You can make the recipe more nutritious by substituting the red snapper with a leaner fish like tilapia or halibut, and add more vegetables like zucchini, carrots, or mushrooms to increase overall nutritional value.
For a more complex taste, consider uncategorized spices such as saffron or paprika to season the fish and the sauce.
If you prefer a spicier version, consider adding chopped jalapenos or red chili flakes to the onion and pepper mixture, enhancing the heat and complexity of the dish.