From the succulent spiny lobsters caught off the shores of
Baja to the luscious black mussels gathered from local coastlines, San Diego
(and coastal southern California generally) is a fish lover’s wet dream come
true. Several times a month I drop by Point Loma Seafoods to get handfuls of
fresh shellfish and scallops for spaghetti allo scoglio, thick slices of ahi
for the grill, a couple dozen oysters on the half shell for cocktails. (And,
when I’ve been very good at maintaining my gym schedule, I’ll even order the
decadently rich scallop sandwich to savor right on the spot). Dude, what’s not
to appreciate about this place?
It is true that in the past my husband, Alessandro, and I
would occasionally get a hankering for the mixed fish grills we’d eat in Italy,
but with the glorious abundance of local fish, we soon recognized that the
origins of our hankerings were more mental-emotional than gastro-lingual. So we
pigged out in bittersweet happiness-sadness.
And then the unbelievable happened.
Late last summer our local Whole Foods market started
stocking branzini and orate, two of our favorite fish. Native to the Mediterranean and adjacent seas, they have certainly come
a long way, baby. In fact, we hesitated before buying, worried about freshness,
but only for a few moments.
The names orata (orate, plural) and branzino (branzini, plural) might be unfamiliar if you
haven’t eaten in Italy,
but you might nevertheless be familiar with the actual fish. A daurade en
papillote in Nice, France
is an orata al cartoccio in Ventimiglia,
Italy: orata
(Italian) = daurade (French) = sea bream (English) = Sparus auratus (scientific
name – for you nerdy cooks). Branzino, also known as spigola, is called sea
bass in English.
Whole Foods labels orata as orata and branzino as branzino,
using their Italian rather than their English names. Unsubtle snobbery? Who
knows, but please don’t let the foreignness of the names dissuade you from
trying these mouth-watering fish.
Because mouth-watering they are.
Italians have a traditional, though unofficial, ranking
system for fish. The top or superior category, pesci pregiati, consists mostly
of delicately-flavored species, and orate and branzini are firmly entrenched in
this superlative group. Both orate and branzini are roughly the dimension of
good-sized trouts: branzini tend to be slender and long whereas orate tend to
be round and short. When cooked, the flesh of both types of fish is white and
flakey-tender, though the branzino tends to be somewhat fattier and therefore
heartier.
To avoid overpowering their delicate flavors, Italians
prefer to cook orate and branzini al naturale – in an unfussy manner. So, for
example, the fish are often simply grilled over hot coals that have been
aromatized with sprigs of rosemary and sage. Or they are baked al sale – buried
in coarse salt and baked until the salt turns crusty and golden. After the salt
crust is removed, the fish are filleted and drizzled with olive oil. Both fish
are also delectable when baked with lemons and bay leaves, as in the following
recipe. Minor efforts for major effects!
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Orata al forno
Serves 4
2 orate, 1-pound each
2 organic lemons
Fresh bay leaves
Olive oil
Salt
1. Have your fishmonger gut and very lightly scale the
orate.
2. When you get home gently rinse the cavities and the
outsides of the orate in very cold water and pat dry.
3. Thinly slice the lemons and set aside four to six
slices. Lay the remaining slices on a large baking sheet covered in aluminum
foil. (The baking sheet should be large enough to hold both fish. If you
don’t have one that size, use two smaller ones). The aluminum foil is
necessary to keep your baking sheets clean, because as the fish cook the
lemons will dry out and stick to whatever surface they’re in contact with.
4. Scatter three or four bay leaves on the lemon slices
you've placed on the baking sheet.
5. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt in the cavities and
on the sides of the fish.
6. Place a couple slices of lemon and two or three bay
leaves inside the cavities.
7. Lay the fish on top of the slices of lemon and bay
leaves on the baking sheet.
8. Bake in a 350-degree oven for approximately 20 minutes
then turn over with medium to large fish tongs. Return to the oven and bake
another 20 minutes or until the flesh of the fish is opaque. Be careful of
overcooking the fish, otherwise they'll dry out.
Thickly sliced boiled potatoes drizzled with olive oil and
sea salt make a perfect accompaniment, as do steamed asparagus drizzled in
melted butter or funghi trifolati
(sautéed mushrooms).
Serve with a chilled Prosecco or Vermentino di Sardegna.
Cin-cin!
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12:26:35 AM 
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