Pesce al
Forno
Ligurian-style baked fish with potatoes & olives
Whole fish bakes with potatoes, tomatoes, Taggiasca olives and pine nuts in a Ligurian-style preparation with olive oil and white wine.
Whole fish with mixed vegetables; the recipe uses potatoes & tomatoesWhole fish in the oven,
a Ligurian olive-and-potato version.
Pesce al forno simply means baked fish, a preparation found throughout Italy. The Ligurian-style version chosen here surrounds whole fish with potatoes, small olives, tomatoes and pine nuts. Olive oil and a little white wine become the cooking juices served with the fish.
Sea bream, sea bass and other suitable fish can be used, with the cooking time adjusted to their size. The home recipe specifies two small sea bream and briefly boils the sliced potatoes first so they finish alongside the fish. Taggiasca olives give this version a clear Ligurian connection without making all baked fish a regional specialty. The photograph shows a broader mix of vegetables than the recipe uses.
Explore by food: Fish & seafood
Let’s make pesce al forno alla ligure.
Two mains, one small whole sea bream per person, with potatoes, olives and pine nuts. Start with scaled, gutted fish, gills removed by the fishmonger.
Two sea bream, 450–500 g each before cleaning, one per main-course portion.
What you’ll need
- 2whole sea bream, 450–500 g each before cleaning, scaled and gutted
- 350 gpotatoes, peeled and sliced 5 mm thick
- 1.5 lwater, for boiling potatoes
- 150 gcherry tomatoes, halved
- 50 gpitted Taggiasca olives, drained
- 20 gpine nuts
- 2garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 40 mlextra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 75 mldry white wine
- ½ tspdried thyme
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
Cooking includes bringing potato water to a boil, parboiling and baking; oven preheating runs alongside the potato stage. Fishmonger cleaning is a starting condition. Olives other than Taggiasca are a substitution with a different flavor.
How to make it
- 01
Heat oven and parboil
Heat a conventional oven to 200°C/390°F. Bring potato water to a boil in a saucepan, add the slices and boil gently for 5–6 minutes until just beginning to soften. Drain. Check cleaned fish for remaining scales and pat dry.
- 02
Arrange the tray
Line a deep roasting tray with baking paper, leaving enough overhang to cover the fish. Coat with 20 ml oil and spread potatoes in an even layer. Season lightly. Place fish on top and tuck one garlic clove into each cavity.
- 03
Add the Ligurian accompaniments
Scatter tomatoes, olives and pine nuts around the fish. Pour wine into the tray, drizzle with the remaining 20 ml oil and add thyme, pepper and a little salt. Fold over the paper and tuck the edges to enclose the tray loosely, without letting paper touch an oven element.
- 04
Bake and check
Bake for about 25–30 minutes. Open the paper away from your face and test the thickest flesh near the backbone: it should reach 63°C/145°F and separate easily. Potatoes should be tender to a knife. Return to the oven if either needs more time; fish size affects the timing.
- 05
Fillet and serve
Lift fish onto a clean platter. Separate the upper fillet, lift away the backbone and head, then lift the second fillet. Check carefully for small bones. Serve with potatoes, olives, tomatoes, pine nuts and the tray juices.
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