Whole Bronzini Simmered in Tomatoes, Olives and Lemon

  • 1 whole Bronzini, scaled and gutted
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 large can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup good quality olives
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 1/2 tsp peppercorns
  • 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

In a large, deep skillet with a lid, lightly brown the onions and cook until tender in the vegetable oil. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the lemon slices, garlic, olives, tomatoes and chicken stock and reduce this mixture by about one quarter. In a small piece of cheese cloth, tie a sachet of bay leaf, peppercorns, and the thyme sprigs and submerge the sachet in the liquid. Place the whole Bronzini in the pan so that it is about 3/4 of the way covered. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the Bronzini is just cooked through. Remove the fish from the sauce and reduce the sauce for about 10 minutes, just to get excess liquid out, season to taste wit salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley over rice or with fresh, crusty bread.