stuffed fish

This Cous Cous Stuffed Sea Bass looks absolutely great - yet is so easy to make. Fluffy cous cous flavoured with olives, capers and fennel seeds stuffed in tender sea bass. 

Cous Cous Stuffed Sea Bass

cous cous, uncooked

vegetable stock

onion

fennel seeds

dill,

4-5 black olives, sliced in half length ways

lemon - juice & zest

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 190C/275F. Heat a small saucepan over a medium high heat with a few sprays of light cooking oil or olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes then add the fennel seeds and cook for a further 1 minute.

Add the cous cous to the pan along with the stock and stir. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat and cover for 10 minutes or until the liquid is fully absorbed.

Whisk together the lemon juice, zest and the olive oil. When the cous cous is ready use a fork to fluff the grains and pour the dressing over. Then add the capers, olives, dill and parsley and mix well.

Line a baking tray with parchment / baking paper. Fill the cavity of the sea bass with the cous cous mixture and place on the baking tray. Season with salt, pepper and a small drizzle of oil. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes.

This perfectly roasted whole fish is inspired by an Iranian dish eaten during Persian New Year called Mahi Shekam Por. An impressive dinner that is ready to eat in an hour, sea bream is stuffed with an aromatic herb, walnut, olive, and pomegranate molasses mixture. The resulting fish is flakey and tender, with a perfect balance of flavors sweet, savory, and tangy, and herbaceous flavor.

Mahi Shekam Por (Persian Stuffed Fish)

saffron threads, (or 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron)

sea bream

Kosher salt

Black pepper

walnuts ((untoasted))

garlic cloves, (crushed and peeled)

cilantro leaves

parsley

mint leaves

(4 ounces) large pitted green olives

pomegranate molasses

pomegranate seeds

Bloom the saffron. Grind the saffron threads in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until they become a fine powder. Stir in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside to bloom while you prepare the other ingredients.

Get ready. Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Prepare the fish. Position the fish on a sturdy cutting board with its belly facing you. Take your knife and slice at a diagonal from near the top of its neck to its belly, cutting deep enough to touch the bone. Do this once more, closer to the middle part of the fish. Flip and repeat on the other side. Season with salt and pepper on both sides and place the fish on the baking tray. Repeat with the remaining fish, setting the prepared fish aside until you are ready to stuff them.

Grind the walnuts. Add walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until they’re finely ground.

Add the aromatics. To the food processor with the walnuts, add the garlic, cilantro, parsley, and mint. Pulse until the herbs and garlic are coarsely chopped.

Make a paste. Add the olives, pomegranate molasses and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Blitz until it forms a coarse paste.

Stuff the fish. Divide the stuffing amongst the fish, opening the cavity and pushing the flavorful walnut mixture inside.

Tie the fish. Using butcher’s twine, make a knot at the top end of the fish just under the head. This is the anchor. Then make a series of loops to cover the fish by pulling the twine out away from your anchor and creating a large, loose loop under the fish. Repeat to the length of the fish, around 4 times, then tie off and cut the twine.

Make the saffron glaze. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bowl with the bloomed saffron. Brush the fish on both sides with the saffron oil.

Bake the fish. Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven and roast until the skin is crispy, 30 to 40 mins.

Garnish and serve. Remove the fish from the oven. Remove and discard the butcher’s twine and gently transfer to your serving dish. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds and serve.

This Stuffed Flounder is light, fresh, and packed with crab, corn, zucchini, and basil—perfect for a simple summer dinner.

Crab Stuffed Flounder

crab meat

zucchini

corn kernels (from 1 large ear)

basil (chopped)

chives (chopped)

lemons (divided)

salt

breadcrumbs (or gluten-free crumbs)

dry white wine

butter

flounder fish fillets (or fluke

Preheat oven to 375°F

In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, zucchini, corn, basil, chives, lemon zest from 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon of salt, egg and breadcrumb; reserve.

Prepare a baking dish: Add the juice of 1 lemon, wine & butter; set aside. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges.

Lay filets on a cutting board &amp; sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Flip so the inside of the filet is facing upwards.

Spoon ¼ cup crab stuffing to the bottom of each filet and roll.

Place the stuffed filets in the baking dish seam side down. Top each roll packed like a crab cake with the remaining crab filling.

Bake, 20 minutes. Raise temperature to 425°F and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the top of the crab begins to crisp. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Cous Cous Stuffed Sea Bass

Mahi Shekam Por (Persian Stuffed Fi...

Crab Stuffed Flounder

Top 3 stuffed fish recipes from across the web

The most viewed stuffed fish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Cous Cous Stuffed Sea Bass

Mahi Shekam Por (Persian Stuffed Fi...

Crab Stuffed Flounder

The most viewed stuffed fish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine