Baked sea bream with oregano

This dish is inspired by the flavours of Greece – fresh white fish, lemons, garlic and oregano.  I saw a prepack product and thought “wouldn’t it be nice to make the fresh version”.  It only takes a few minutes to get in the oven and is bursting with flavour and freshness.  We enjoyed it with steamed leeks, courgettes and carrots sprinkled with some extra virgin olive oil.

 

 

 

 

 

For two:

2 x 160g sea bream or sea bass fillets
1/2 cup (about 100ml) white wine (or 4 tbs water and 1 dsp lemon juice)
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil or (if you want dairy) a knob of butter
Zest of 1 small lemon (organic or scrubbed with soapy water and rinsed)
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely sliced/chopped
Handful fresh oregano (about 5 x 12cm sprigs), stalks removed (if you don’t have fresh oregano you could use fresh tarragon or 1 tbs of chopped thyme leaves)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Lay the 2 pieces of fish skin side down in a small roasting tin or ovenproof dish.  3. Pour over the wine (or water with lemon juice), the olive oil or butter and sprinkle on the lemon zest and garlic and a few good grinds of black pepper.
4. Chop the oregano.  Reserve half for later and sprinkle half over the fish.
5. Cover the dish with tinfoil and seal the edges.  Or use a close-fitting lid.  The idea is that the fish steams in the liquid and stays succulent, rather than roasting and drying out.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
6. Serve sprinkled with the remaining chopped oregano.

Serve with:
Any green vegetable.  We like steamed leeks and broccoli.  If you are super hungry or don’t want to lose weight, add some brown rice, a baked sweet potato or a few baby boiled potatoes.

Why this is great for you:
Oregano and garlic can help supercharge your health and vitality.  They both act against overgrowths of disease-causing bacteria and yeasts in your gut.  The bacteria that live in your gut outnumber the cells of your body 10 to one and they have a massive impact on mental and physical health.  Not having enough good bacteria, or an overgrowth of bad is a major factor in skin conditions and digestive troubles.  If you take antibiotics, eat food with glyphosate (herbicide) residues, or eat a high carbohydrate diet, your gut bacteria will not be all they should be.  Garlic and oregano can help start to set things right.  Garlic, oregano and lemons also contain anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory compounds that protect your brain and your joints and slow down the accumulation of wrinkles.  Unprocessed white fish is a good source of high-quality protein.  Protein is needed for helping us eliminate natural and man-made toxins.  If you team the protein up with (more than half your plate) greens and multicoloured veg you have a winning formula for energy and vitality.