Holiday Cooking

While on holidays, I was trying to find something meaningful and deep to write about that special time of the year, where my schedule is not packed with appointment, where being lazy is acceptable and where the clock doesn't rule my day.
Well instead, the only thing stuck in my head was Madonna singing Holiday: "Holiday... Celebrate... Holiday... Celebrate...". Excuse me for being a child of the 80's.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy the change of scenery and all this time to do close to nothing. But holidays or not, I can't really stay out of the kitchen. I wouldn't be in it for hours either, to make a elaborate dish or dessert, like I would at home.
The joy of being somewhere else, is discovering the local products and traditions, experience recipe you wouldn't do at home. Otherwise, where's the fun of being on holidays!

I'm not used to cook whole fishes, I tend to find them intimidating. But my mum wanted to try gilt head bream, and what better occasion than when you're close to the mediterranean sea. A trip to a local farmer's market where the nice fishmonger gutted them for us.
Although I tend to go with Phoebe's rule of "no food with eyes", this recipe was worth the exception, it's easy to make, with a delicious result. Gilt head Bream has now the taste of holidays to me.

Oven Cooked Gilt Head Bream

Serves 2

2 Gilt-Head Bream
2 Big Tomatoes
1 Lemon
Fresh Thym
Fresh Rosemary
2 Tablespoon of Coarse Salt
Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In an oven dish, sprinkle a bit of olive oil and coarse salt. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into about 1cm thick slices, place them in the oven dish.

Wash and scale the breams, place some fresh thym and rosemary in the cut the guts got taken out (ask your fishmonger to do it). Place the fishes on top of the tomatoes.
Cut 6 slices of lemon and place them on the fish, press the remaining lemon over the breams and add some rosemary and thym around the dish.
Add some more olive oil on top and a little bit of water in the dish. Place the dish in the oven for 30 minutes.

Take the fish out carefully, starting from the tail, you can peel the skin of easily. Than cut in the middle to remove the 2 filets, it should get away from the spine easily. Turn it over and start again with the other side.

Serve with the tomaotes it was cooked with, along with some pasta or rice.