Neapolitan Style Baked Sea Bream baked in parchment paper or foil is light and tasty. The foil or parchment paper preserves the flavours and aromas of the dish. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 Sea bream 1kg, cleaned with head and tail on.

Coarse grain salt

1 Large lemon, cut in half, lemon juice

60mL Extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for the parchment paper or foil

4 Large garlic cloves, chopped

10 Large sprigs of coarsely chopped parsley, oregano, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, and fennel (optional)

To Prepare

Soak the fish for 45 minutes in a bowl of cold water containing coarse salt and the squeezed lemon halves.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6

Finely chop the garlic, parsley and rosemary together with a mezzaluna, and transfer to a small bowl. Add the oregano, fresh rosemary, thyme, and fennel (optional),  season with salt and pepper, pour in the olive oil and mix very well.

Drain the bream, rinse it under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly oil a piece of parchment paper or aluminium foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the parsley mixture over the centre of the parchment and place the bream on top.

Pour half of the remaining mixture into the cavity of the bream and the over half over it. Wrap the bream and place on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes on each side or longer if the bream is larger than 1kg

When the bream is ready, transfer it to a serving platter, pour the lemon juice over it, and serve with the lemon wedges.