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Mediterranean baked sea bass fillets with Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, capers, and lemon in a white ceramic dish

Mediterranean Baked Sea Bass with Olives

Tender sea bass fillets baked with Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, capers, and fresh herbs in a light white wine sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the tomato and olive base
  • 300 g cherry tomatoes halved
  • 100 g Kalamata olives pitted
  • 2 tbsp capers in brine rinsed and drained
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 1 small red onion halved and thinly sliced
  • 80 ml dry white wine
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp red chili flakes optional
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
For the fish
  • 4 sea bass fillets skin-on, about 170 g each
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 lemon half sliced into rounds, half for squeezing
To finish
  • 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves optional
  • 4 extra lemon wedges to serve

Method
 

Build the base
  1. Heat the oven to 200 C / 390 F with a rack in the center.
  2. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, combine the cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers, garlic, and red onion.
  3. Pour over 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the white wine. Sprinkle with dried oregano, chili flakes if using, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat everything evenly.
  4. Roast the base for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juices.
Prepare and bake the fish
  1. While the base roasts, pat the sea bass fillets dry with paper towels on both sides.
  2. Score the skin of each fillet twice with a sharp knife, cutting about 5 mm deep, to prevent curling.
  3. Rub the fillets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
  4. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Lay the sea bass fillets skin-side up over the tomato base, nestling them slightly into the sauce.
  5. Tuck the lemon rounds around and between the fillets.
  6. Return to the oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the flesh flakes easily at the thickest point and an instant-read thermometer reads 63 C / 145 F.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove from the oven and rest uncovered for 3 minutes.
  2. Squeeze half a lemon over the dish and scatter over the fresh parsley and fresh oregano if using.
  3. Serve directly from the baking dish with extra lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

Scoring the skin and pre-roasting the base for 10 minutes are the two steps that make the biggest difference to both texture and sauce depth.