Photo: Jacek Chabraszewski/ShutterstockLemony baked trout
Lemon for the fish, of course, but also warm, colorful spices and olive oil.
It's a pleasure to be shopping in the outdoor market and to look in on the fishmonger. He waves you over: "Hey, why haven't I seen you around? Aren't you eating fish lately?"
So naturally, I step up and inspect the beautiful fresh fish laid out in orderly rows, on plenty of ice. Here, thick pink slices of salmon – there, whole grey mullets. In season, little red mullets or fresh sardines. The fishmonger has been to the port at 3 in the morning to buy those fish, I know, then spends the whole day in the market selling them. I once asked him what his wife cooks for the weekend. He turned big eyes on me and simply said, "Fish."
Well gee, what else, I thought. When I asked what he'll be eating that night, he pointed to the fresh, whole trout. OK. What's good enough for him is good enough for me. I brought some of that fresh trout home and this is how I cooked it.
An easy marinade with typical spices, and a brief wait for the fish to take up the flavors. In the meantime, slice lemons to make a bed for that trout to lie on. Bake, and eat hot.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 pounds fish (I cooked 2 small trouts)
- 3 lemons
Directions
In a bowl, mix up the oil, water, dry spices and coriander.
Pour the mixture over the fish. Spoon a little of it into the cleaned interior of the fish. Allow it to marinate 1/2 hour, turning it over at the 15-minute point.
Slice the lemons thinly.
Put half the lemons on the bottom of the baking dish; lay the fish on top and scatter the rest of them on top of it.
Bake at 425° F (220 °C) for 20 minutes or until done. The fish, that is.
Related Topics: Fish
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