Baked sea hen is a quick and nutritious second course, ideal for a family lunch or a convivial evening with friends.
The gurnard, a fish with lean and light meat, in this recipe is gutted, placed whole on a baking sheet with parchment paper together with a mix of cherry tomatoes, potatoes and rosemary, and then sprinkled with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper, the juice of a filtered orange and a splash of white wine. Once cooked in the oven, all you have to do is fillet it, and that’s it: the result will be a fragrant and succulent dish, to be served while still hot together with the prepared side dish.
If you wish, you can add pitted olives, a handful of desalted capers, thinly sliced Tropea onions or other seasonal vegetables of your choice to the pan, or you can replace the orange juice with lemon juice.
Also known as coccio, lucerna or capon di mare, the gurnard lends itself to many different preparations in the kitchen. When purchasing, make sure it is very fresh and, if you want to reduce the preparation time, have it filleted by your trusted fishmonger: you can pass the fillets in breadcrumbs and let them brown under the grill of the oven, or you can cook them in a stew and accompany them with slices of homemade bread for the inevitable final mopping up.
Discover how to prepare baked sea hen by following the step-by-step procedure and tips. If you liked this recipe, also try Mediterranean-style sea hen and spaghetti with sea hen sauce.
How to prepare baked sea hen
Step 1
Cut open the belly of the hen and remove the viscera 1, then remove the scales and rinse it thoroughly under cold running water.
Step 2
Place the fish on a baking tray with baking paper and insert half a slice of lemon into the gills 2; then peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
Step 3
Transfer the potatoes into the pan together with the cherry tomatoes, washed and halved, and season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 3.
Step 4
Season with salt and pepper 4.
Step 5
Pour in the filtered orange juice and the white wine and flavour with a few sprigs of rosemary 5, then place in a hot oven at 180°C and leave to cook for around 40 minutes.
Step 6
Once the cooking time is up, take the sea hen 6 out of the oven and fillet it.
Step 7
Arrange the baked sea hen on a serving dish and serve with the potatoes and cherry tomatoes 7.
