Sea bream with herbs and caponata

To prepare the herb bream with caponata, start by cleaning the bream. Take each bream 1 and use scissors to remove the fins and begin to scale it with the appropriate tool, or with the blade of a knife 2, repeatedly running it from tail to head. Then proceed to gut the fish. Rinse it well under running water to remove all traces of blood. At this point, use a sharp knife to make a transverse cut and remove the head of your bream 3.

Then cut the tail and the dorsal part of the fish along the spine 4, starting from the top, and proceed by moving the blade horizontally relative to the work surface to obtain the first fillet 5. Turn the fish over and proceed in the same manner, detaching the meat from the bone to obtain the second fillet. Identify any bones present by running a hand over the fillet, and remove them using tweezers 6.

Wash the thyme, basil, and parsley under water, then place them on a cutting board 7 and finely chop them with a knife 8. Lay the fish fillets in a baking dish, large enough to hold them, and add the oil and fresh herb mince 9.

Wrap in plastic wrap and let marinate just long enough to prepare the caponata. To prepare the caponata, start with the eggplants: wash, trim, and cut them into cubes of about 0.6 inches 10. Place them in a colander and season with salt 11, at this point place a weight on top 12 and let them drain for at least an hour, so they lose their bitterness.

Meanwhile, clean the celery stalks, cut them into strips 13, and blanch them in slightly salted boiling water 14. After about 5 minutes, drain them and dry them with a kitchen towel 15.

At this point, pour a drizzle of oil into a pan and sauté the celery strips 16 for about 5 minutes, then pour them into a bowl and set them aside. Finely slice the onions 17 and sauté them in another pan 18.

Once softened, also add the pitted olives, pine nuts, and capers, after rinsing them well under running water to remove excess salt 19. Let them sauté for about ten minutes, then dice the tomatoes 20 and add them to the pan 21.

Let cook for about 20 minutes, and in the meantime, wash the drained eggplants 22, drain them and dry them with a kitchen towel 23 or paper towels. Proceed by pouring the eggplants into plenty of hot oil 24.

Fry them for a few minutes, until they are slightly golden 25. Drain them from the oil and pour them directly into the pan with the tomato, olive, and onion mixture 26. Then add the celery strips 27.

Mix everything and add the sugar 28 and vinegar 29. Once all the alcohol has evaporated, mix again, add the basil leaves 30, and turn off the heat.

Let it cool slightly, and in the meantime, dedicate yourself to cooking the bream. Take the bream fillets left to marinate in the fridge 31 and place them, without draining them too much, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated static oven at 392°F for 16-18 minutes 32 (if using a fan oven, bake at 356°F for about 10 minutes). Serve your herb bream fillets with caponata hot 33.