Roasted Sea Bass with Pearl Barley, Confit Tomatoes and Taggiasca Olives

Ingredienti

• 800 g Whole cleaned sea bass
• 150 g Pearl barley
• 250 g Cherry tomatoes
• 60 g Pitted Taggiasca olives
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 1 piece Lemon
• 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 6 g Sea salt
• 2 g Black pepper
• 400 ml Vegetable stock

Preparazione

1. Prepare the confit tomatoes: halve the cherry tomatoes, arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment, dress with 30 ml oil, one crushed garlic clove, one thyme sprig, salt and pepper. Roast at 110°C for about 50 minutes: they should become shriveled yet still juicy, not dried like raisins. The aroma rising from the oven should be sweet and concentrated—you'll know when to pull them out.
2. While the tomato roasts, prepare the sea bass: pat it completely dry with paper towels inside and out—moisture is the enemy of crispness. Fill the cavity with lemon sliced into rounds, two crushed garlic cloves and two thyme sprigs. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside and out, massage well to work the salt into the flesh.
3. Cook the pearl barley risotto-style: heat 300 ml stock at low heat in a small pot. In another wide pan, heat 30 ml oil over medium flame, add barley and toast for 2 minutes while stirring—you'll hear a slight crackling and smell grain. Add hot stock in ladles, stirring each time it absorbs nearly all the liquid, for about 30-35 minutes. The barley should stay al dente, creamy like risotto, with stock binding everything together.
4. When the confit tomatoes are nearly done and barley is al dente, heat the oven to 200°C. In an oiled tray, place the whole sea bass, sprinkle with 30 ml oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 18-20 minutes: the skin must become crispy and lightly golden, the flesh white and opaque when you insert a knife near the backbone. The fish is cooked when the meat flakes easily, not when still translucent.
5. Finish the barley: toss it with 30 ml raw oil, the Taggiasca olives and salt from the recipe. Stir gently—it should bind without becoming mushy. If too dry, add another ladle of hot stock (you'll see it set immediately).
6. Plate: arrange barley in the center of a white plate, position the sea bass on top (you can lightly peel the skin if desired), surround with confit tomatoes and a few olives. Drizzle everything with a final thread of fresh oil and a thyme sprig. Serve immediately while the fish is still warm and skin crispy.