My husband’s absolute favorite fish is a Sarago, a Mediterranean fish that is unfortunately very boney, but has a fabulously distinct flavor. He claims that only people who really know fish eat Sarago, who knows how true that is, everyone in Italy seems to know a lot more about fish than Americans. The options for dinner every night are vast and it is rare to find a fillet at the market. They certainly don’t wince at looking at fish in their little eyes.

I made these delicious Saraghi for my birthday dinner, I was planning on preparing primo e secondo, but time got the better of me and I ended up putting the mussels that I had bought for the primo in the packets with the the fish. This is one of the easiest ways to prepare whole fish, all of it steaming together in the oven and cooking to perfection. The mussels were a nice touch, there is no place that has mussels more delicious than in Taranto, I could eat them for days.

Sarago in Cartoccio

• olive oil, for brushing and serving
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 2 Saraghi (or any other medium sized fish), scaled and cleaned
• a few sprigs of Italian parsley
• 1 lb potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 lb mussels, beards removed and cleaned with abundant amounts of cold water
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut out 2 sheets of parchment paper or aluminum foil, place them on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil.

Distribute the sliced potatoes evenly between the two packets. Stuff 2 cloves of garlic in the cavity of each fish along with a portion of the parsley leaves, add a pinch of salt and drizzle about a tsp of olive oil inside the cavity. Place the fish on top of the potatoes. Distribute the halved tomatoes, the olives and the mussels, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  Fold over the parchment paper to enclose it completely and seal the edges. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the mussels have opened and the fish is cooked through.

Clean and serve with the contents of the packet.

One Year Ago: Beet and Beet Green Gratin

Two Years Ago: Pasta alla Norma

Three Years Ago: Cheese Soufflè & Baby Artichokes and Scallops Risotto

~ by italicious on June 20, 2012.

Posted in mussels, olives, parsley, potato, sarago, secondi, tomatoes
Tags: Main Entrèes, mussels, olives, potatoes, sarago, seafood, tomatoes