Daurade au four bis

Another recipe picked up and adapted from Marmiton.org. A high score on the effort versus results scale — if you spread the potatoes and tomatoes out on a large, solid, baking tray they caramelise nicely, leaving a small quantity of syrupy juices and giving the dish an excellent flavour.

1 sea bream, about 800g, gutted and scaled
500 g potatoes
3 large, ripe tomatoes
2 lemons
4 bay leaves
thyme (fresh or dried)
250 ml chicken stock (fresh or a cube)
150 ml dry white wine
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Slice the tomatoes. Mix together stock, wine, and 2/3 of the olive oil in a jug.

Lay the potato and tomato slices out on a large, solid tray, large enough to take the fish diagonally. Add the thyme, season with salt and pepper, and pour over two thirds of the stock and wine mixture. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Wash and slice the lemons. Put 3-4 slices of lemon inside the fish, along with 2 bay leaves and a little more thyme and salt and pepper.

Place the fish on top of the potatoes and tomatoes,tucking the remaining bay leaves underneath it, and arrange the remaining lemon slices on top of and around the fish. Pour over the rest of the stock, and bake for a further 20 minutes until the fish is just done.