One of my fondest memories of our 2012 trip to Italy was the day we visited Positano.
Positano is a cliff-side village on the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. With its narrow cobblestone streets and pastel-colored buildings, it is a place that you might picture in your mind’s eye when you think of a holiday along the Mediterranean.
It was a perfect, sunny afternoon in May when we found an open-air restaurant practically on the pebbled beach lined with boats and sun-lovers. I have never really gotten used to eating in the middle of the afternoon. But friends we traveled with had lived in Italy for some time, so that was their custom.
So, there we were overlooking the sparking water, and I decided that all I wanted to eat was fish. Without looking at the menu, I asked the waiter if the kitchen could prepare a simple mild fish roasted with potatoes and fresh rosemary. They did, and I remember it as one of the best meals I ever had.
Seafood is popular and abundant along all the coastlines of Italy and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well. My father, born in the little town of Vieste on the Adriatic Sea, lived to eat the shellfish he remembered as a child, mussels and clams especially. (To my mother’s dismay, he also loved eel, octopus and smelts!)
Liguria is a province of northwestern Italy. Sitting on the Ligurian Sea and crossed by the Alps, it is part of what is known as the “Italian Riviera.” Although far from the sunny waters of the south, Liguria has a long coastline and is home to wonderful fish, too, including sea bass, cod and tuna. The recipe below is a classic one from Liguria: sea bass with potatoes and olives, or “Sprigola al Forno.” It reminds me of the lovely dish I had sitting by the sea in Positano.
SEA BASS WITH POTATOES AND OLIVES
Ingredients
- 4 portions of mild white fish like cod, sea bass or halibut (6 to 8 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (flat leaf)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 lemon slices
- 2 pounds “waxy” potatoes, peeled and sliced (I like yellow golds)
- ½ cup Mediterranean-style black olives
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Dry the fish well with paper towels and, using a sharp, heavy knife, make a few shallow slashes on top of each piece.
- In a small bowl, stir together the parsley, marjoram or oregano, 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Rub the mixture over all sides of the fish and place a lemon slice on top of each piece. Cover and let stand while you prepare the potatoes.
- Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the potato slices in a heavy roasting pan large enough to hold them in a fairly shallow layer.
- Roast the potatoes until they begin to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Then turn them, stir in the olives, and place the fish pieces on top.
- Continue to roast the fish and potatoes until the flesh is opaque and the potatoes are tender.
- Place the fish pieces on a platter and surround them with the potatoes and olives. Garnish with sprigs of any fresh herbs and serve. Roasted asparagus goes very nicely with the fish and maybe lemon sorbetto for dessert.
If you are adventurous, you might try making this recipe with whole, heads-on fish, such as branzino or red snapper, which have been cleaned by your fish vendor. You can add a few garlic cloves or sliced sweet onions to the potatoes to ramp up the flavor. And, if you are into sheet-pan cooking, you could give that a try.
All you need now is some chilled white wine, an outside table, a few lit candles, and a soft summer breeze. Enjoy these fleeting summer months.
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