Ligurian-Style Sea Bass

• Recipe by Maurizio Quaranta

At Locanda del Pilone, chef Maurizio Quaranta serves a fusion of Liguria’s seafood and Piedmont’s hill-country food. In this recipe, he roasts sea bass with olives and tomatoes until the fish is crisp and succulent. His special touch is spooning toasted warm pine nuts over the fish before serving.

Ingredients

1. 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2. 1 pound tomatoes, cut into large chunks
3. 3/4 cup pitted green olives
4. 1/4 cup torn basil leaves
5. 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. Two 3-pound sea bass, cleaned
8. 1/2 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a very large roasting pan, toss the potatoes, tomatoes, olives and basil with 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Make 3 shallow slashes in both sides of each fish. Rub each fish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set the fish in the roasting pan, tucking them into the vegetables. Roast for about 40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the fish are cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the pine nuts in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Spoon the pine nuts over the fish and vegetables in the roasting pan and serve right away.