Baked sea bass with black olives, capers and potatoes

Ingredients

700 g fresh, whole sea bass

700 g potatoes cut into thick rings

1 tbs dried thyme

1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 tbs coarse sea salt

1/2 tbs ground black pepper

60 ml (4 tablespoons) olive oil (30+30 ml)

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

100 g large, ripe capers

100 g kalamata black olives

500 g cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

2 - 3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

240 ml red wine

Filler for slits:

1 clove of garlic, chopped

40 g of butter at room temperature

Preparation

Toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the chopped thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the roasting pan, sprinkle with garlic slices.

Cut the capers in half, remove the stems, and remove the stones from the olives.

Scatter the tomatoes, olives and capers over the potatoes and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Dry the sea bass well, inside and out, with a paper towel. Cut the fish with a knife blade in 3 places on each side. Season the cavity of the fish with salt and pepper and stuff with a sprig of thyme and rosemary. Fill the side slits with mixture of garlic and butter. Rub the outside of the fish with salt and pepper.

Place the fish on the potatoes and pour the wine over it.

Cover the roasting pan with foil and bake the fish for 50 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Discard the foil and baste the fish with the pan juices. Bake the fish for about 20 minutes longer, or until it is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.