Recipe for grilled dorade
Sea Bream
“Sea Bream?” you might wonder.
If you ask a Frenchman, Greek, Italian, or other Southern European, they will tell you that sea bream is a great delicacy and always has been.
But what is sea bream?
The sea bream is also known as “havrude” or “guldbrase” in Danish, and it is an extremely delicate and flavorful fish. The name, “guldbrase,” refers to the golden spots it has on its cheeks and the golden line that runs above its large, oval-shaped eyes.
It is also a good rule of thumb that the more prominent the golden line is, the fresher the fish. It’s a bit hard to see in this picture, but generally, the eyes should be shiny and clear, and the fish shouldn’t smell “fishy.”
The meat of the sea bream is white and lean, with a delicious taste and juicy texture – personally, I think the meat resembles trout. Additionally, sea bream is packed with vitamins such as B12 and B9, as well as magnesium, iron, and calcium.
In fact, sea bream is one of the most valuable fish in the Mediterranean, and it is at its best between July and October – so now is the time to get it!
Sea Bream at the Local Fishmonger
I have often noticed sea bream at my fishmonger at the local market, where it always lies whole on ice.
It may have caught my eye because it is a relatively small fish (around 20-25 centimeters including the head) and therefore seems manageable to tackle.
– but how many fish should you get? We were two adults and one child for dinner, and three fish seemed a lot. It naturally depends on the individual’s appetite, but the fishmonger told me that if you’re hungry, you can eat a whole one yourself, and otherwise, two people can share one fish.
He thought that two fish would be enough for us two adults and our 3-year-old. And it certainly was. I served the fish with half a cauliflower and some bread, and we had half a fish left over.
The fishmonger both scaled the fish, cut it open, and removed the guts, so it couldn’t have been easier. He also asked me if the sea bream was to be fried or steamed, and when I answered that it was to be grilled, he advised me on how to proceed. Read on below.
Grilled Dorade
Ingredients
- Coarse salt for gourmet salting
- 2 pcs. Sea Bream gilt-head bream
- Flake Salt to taste
- Pepper from the mill - to taste
- 0.5 Lemon
- 8 Fresh thyme whole sprigs
Instructions
- Start by seasoning the fish with gourmet salt for 20 minutes. This is done by sprinkling coarse salt over both sides.
- Then, rinse the fish to remove the salt under cold running water or brush off the salt.
- Then, remove the fish from the grill and let them rest for 2 minutes.