Ingredients
Scale
For the ratatouille:
- Olive oil
- 4–5 medium yellow onions — peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large or 2 medium eggplant — diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4–6 zucchini — diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 8 –10 medium tomatoes (Romas work well) — cut into small pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 bay leaf
For the fish:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large handfuls flat leaf parsley — finely chopped
- 4 green onions — ends trimmed and finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons chives — finely chopped
- 1 large handful cilantro — finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons dill — finely chopped
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 3 whole Branzino (10 – 12 oz each) — cleaned and scaled
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
For the ratatouille:
- Pour a little olive oil into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over low-medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and lightly browned. About 8-10 minutes.
- While the onions are browning, in a large skillet over medium heat, pour a little olive oil and sauté the eggplant until soft and browned. Approximately 8 – 10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches. Add the cooked eggplant to the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In the same large skillet, pour a little more olive oil and add the zucchini. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 –7 minutes. Add the cooked zucchini to the eggplant-onion mixture.
- To the same skillet add a touch more olive oil and cook the tomatoes over high heat for 2 –3 minutes, letting any juice evaporate. Add the tomatoes to the eggplant-zucchini-onion mixture.
- Cook all the vegetables together with the bay leaf, a large pinch of salt and some pepper for 30-40 minutes, uncovered. Remove the bay leaf just before serving. Spoon the ratatouille onto a large serving platter.
For the fish:
- Combine all the ingredients, except the lemon juice and the fish in a medium sized bowl.
- Make four parallel, ½-inch deep cuts into both sides of the Branzino. Insert some of the herb mixture into each of the cuts and into the cavity of the fish. Place the prepared fish onto a lightly oiled baking dish or sheet pan. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and 4-5 grinds of pepper. Roast in the center of the oven for 20 minutes.
- Place the cooked fish on the ratatouille, pour a little lemon juice over the fish and serve immediately. Filet each fish and serve with a good helping of the ratatouille.