This barbecued whole sea bream recipe is as delicious as it is simple – with just a handful of ingredients and very little prep.
I have three criteria for an excellent barbecue recipe:
- It must be able to be prepped in advance
- It must take very little effort
- It must pair well with a wide variety of salads
This barbecued sea bream meets all of my criteria and has the added bonus of being something a little different to your standard hot dogs and burgers – perfect for an extended spell of warm weather!
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Sea bream – use whole sea bream and ask for it to be gutted by your fishmonger (unless you are confident doing that yourself).
- Lemon, garlic, fennel fronds – these are the flavours that will make this fish really delicious! Fennel fronds are the leaves of the fennel plant. They’re trickier to get hold of than the bulbs and seeds (I grow fennel in my garden so have a ready source). If you can’t get hold of the fronds, switch for a fennel bulb. Slice it finely and use as per the fronds in the recipe.
Serve With
Barbecued sea bream are perfect with a selection of salads on the side. These salads pair beautifully:
- Quinoa and Lentil Salad
- Avocado, Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad
- Quinoa, Feta and Roasted Pepper Salad
- Asparagus and Green Bean Caesar Salad
- Greek Salad with Baked Feta and Tzatziki
Barbecued Whole Sea Bream Recipe
Whole sea bream with lemon, fennel and garlic, cooked on the barbecue.
Start Cooking in Cook Mode
Ingredients
- 2 whole sea bream gutted (approx 500g)
- 4 slices lemon
- 5 cloves garlic
- 20 grams fennel fronds or 1 fennel bulb
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Get a large sheet of tin foil (big enough to wrap the fish well). Lay the fennel fronds in the middle of it. Place the fish on top, lying them next to each other.
- Put on slice of lemon in the cavity of each fish, and place the other two slices on top of the fish. Scatter the whole garlic cloves around the fish. Sprinkle with the salt. Wrap the tin foil tightly around the fish, then store in the fridge while you prepare the barbecue.
- Bring the barbecue up to heat (on a charcoal barbecue, this will be when the coals have turned white). Place the foil parcel on the barbecue and cover with a lid if you have one. Cook for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
To cook in the oven instead, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the foil parcel on a baking tray and place in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, until the fish is opaque.
Perfect for your next summer barbecue!