Name: Baked whole fish
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 un Whole Fish (Sea Bass / Bream); 2 un Lemon; 1 molho Parsley; 880 g Potato; 0.1 un Fresh rosemary; 0.1 un Black Pepper; 0.1 un Paprika; 0.1 un Salt; 100 g Bell Pepper; 40 ml Olive Oil

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C. Wash the fish well inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut 2-3 shallow slashes on each side.
Slice the lemon into rounds. Finely chop half the bunch of parsley.
Stuff the cavity with a few lemon slices and the chopped parsley. Season the fish with salt and pepper inside and out.
Peel the potatoes and slice them about 0.5 cm thick. Open the pepper, remove the seeds and cut it into thin strips.
Spread the potatoes and pepper in a single layer in a roasting tin, season with half the olive oil, salt, pepper and the paprika, and scatter the rosemary sprigs over the top. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes start to soften.
Take the tin out of the oven. Lay the fish on the potatoes. Arrange the remaining lemon slices over the fish and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil.
Return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until the fish is cooked and the potatoes are golden. Exact timing depends on the size of the fish.
To check the fish, slide a fork into the thickest part; if it flakes easily it is done. Remove the rosemary sprigs and serve at once.

Shopping tip

For whole fresh fish, look at the fish counters in Continente or Pingo Doce, where you can ask them to clean or scale it. At Lidl and Auchan you will more often find it pre-packed, but always check the use-by date.