Balkan Ajvar Baked White Fish with Potatoes 🐟🌶️

Description

Balkan Ajvar Baked White Fish with Potatoes is a colorful oven-baked seafood dish with tender white fish, thin potato slices, sweet ajvar, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and parsley. It is light but satisfying, rustic but polished, and full of warm Balkan flavor without feeling heavy.
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Hook ✨
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Tender white fish, golden potatoes, smoky-sweet ajvar, garlic, lemon, and parsley bake together into one bright Balkan seafood tray. 🐟

Ingredients

• Fish and potatoes 🐟
• 🐟 650 g white fish fillets, such as hake, cod, or sea bass (4 fillets / 1.43 lb)
• 🥔 650 g waxy potatoes, thinly sliced (4½ cups / 1.43 lb)
• 🧂 6 g fine sea salt, divided (1 tsp / 0.2 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🍋 20 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• ‌
• Ajvar garlic sauce 🌶️
• 🌶️ 160 g ajvar (⅔ cup / 5.6 oz)
• 🫒 45 ml olive oil (3 tbsp / 1.5 fl oz)
• 🧄 4 garlic cloves, minced (4 cloves / 0.7 oz)
• 🍅 120 g cherry tomatoes, halved (¾ cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🌶️ 3 g sweet paprika (1 tsp / 0.1 oz)
• 🌫️ 1 g smoked paprika (½ tsp / 0.03 oz)
• 🍋 5 g lemon zest (1 tbsp / 0.17 oz)
• 💧 120 ml vegetable stock or water (½ cup / 4 fl oz)
• ‌
• Finish 🌿
• 🌿 20 g fresh parsley, chopped (½ cup loose / 0.7 oz)
• 🍋 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 🫒 10 ml olive oil for finishing (2 tsp / 0.3 fl oz)
• 🥖 rustic bread, for serving, optional

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Prepare the potatoes 🥔
2. ‌
3. Heat the oven to 210°C (410°F). Place the sliced potatoes in a baking dish, add 25 ml olive oil, 3 g salt, black pepper, and 60 ml stock. Toss well and spread into an even layer.
4. ‌
5. 2️⃣ First bake 🔥
6. ‌
7. Bake the potatoes for 18 min, until they start to soften around the edges but are not fully cooked yet.
8. ‌
9. 3️⃣ Mix the ajvar sauce 🌶️
10. ‌
11. In a bowl, mix ajvar, remaining olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 60 ml stock. Stir until glossy.
12. ‌
13. 4️⃣ Add the fish 🐟
14. ‌
15. Pat the fish fillets dry. Season with the remaining 3 g salt, then place them over the partly baked potatoes. Spoon the ajvar garlic sauce over and around the fish.
16. ‌
17. 5️⃣ Bake until tender 🍅
18. ‌
19. Return the dish to the oven and bake at 200°C (392°F) for 14 min, until the fish flakes easily and the potatoes are fully tender.
20. ‌
21. 6️⃣ Finish and serve 🌿
22. ‌
23. Rest for 5 min. Drizzle with 10 ml olive oil, scatter parsley over the top, and serve warm with lemon wedges and rustic bread if desired.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 32 min
🛋 Rest: 5 min
⏰ Total: 52 min

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