Orate all’Anconetana
Whole sea bream marinated in white wine and herbs, grilled until the skin crisps, and served with an anchovy, egg, and bread sauce from Ancona.
Equipment
- Grill pan or outdoor grill
- Food Processor
- Large bowl or deep-sided container (for marinating)
- Kitchen tongs
- Chopping board and knife
Ingredients
Fish
- 2 orata sea bream (gutted, scaled and rinsed)
- Marinade
- 125 ml olive oil
- 125 ml white wine
- half onion very finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- salt
- black pepper
Sauce
- 8 anchovy fillets salt-packed, rinsed
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 clove garlic
- black pepper
- 40 g stale white bread crusts removed
- 40 ml white wine vinegar or enough to soak the bread
- 80 ml olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, white wine, onion, bay, thyme, salt, and black pepper in a container large enough to hold both fish. Mix well. Add the fish and turn them in the marinade to coat. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, turning the fish every 30 minutes.
- Break the bread into pieces and soak in the white wine vinegar for 5 minutes.
- Squeeze the bread gently to remove most of the vinegar.
- Put the bread, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, garlic, and black pepper into a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- With the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until the sauce reaches a thick, creamy consistency.
- Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Discard the marinade.
- Heat a grill pan over high heat until very hot. Cook the fish for 8-10 minutes on each side, depending on size, until the skin is crisp and the flesh pulls cleanly from the bone at the thickest point.
- Serve the fish on a platter with the sauce in a bowl alongside.
Notes
The sauce can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If it thickens in the fridge, stir in a few drops of warm water to loosen it.