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Gilthead Bream with Vernaccia di San Gimignano

17/11/2023

The gilthead bream with Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a sophisticated dish that combines the delicate flavors of fish with the typical fragrances of this Tuscan white wine. Here’s how to prepare this delicious dish.

Ingredients

  • 4 gilthead breams (about 200-300g each), cleaned and scaled
  • 250 ml of Vernaccia di San Gimignano
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Fresh rosemary
  • Fresh sage
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • Butter to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
  2. Wash the aromatic herbs well and finely chop the garlic.
  3. In an oven dish large enough to contain the breams, grease it with a little oil, then lay a bed of aromatic herbs and the chopped garlic.
  4. After rinsing the breams under running water, pat them dry with kitchen paper. Make small crosswise incisions on the skin of the breams, then season them with salt and pepper both inside and out.
  5. Dust the breams with a bit of flour; this will help to form a light golden crust during cooking.
  6. Place the breams in the baking dish on top of the bed of herbs and garlic. Add a few slices of lemon and some small pats of butter over the fish.
  7. Pour the Vernaccia di San Gimignano over the breams.
  8. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the breams.
  9. Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the breams are perfectly golden.
  10. Once cooked, remove the breams from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.

For an elegant presentation, arrange the gilthead bream on a serving plate and drizzle with the cooking sauce. Pair the dish with a good Tuscan white wine, ideally the same Vernaccia di San Gimignano used for cooking.

Curiosity

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of Italy’s most prestigious white wines. Characterized by a fruity and floral aroma with a typical note of hazelnut, and a dry flavor, it was the first wine to receive the controlled designation of origin (DOC) in 1966, before being promoted to DOCG in 1993. The pairing with fish enhances its qualities and finesse.

Gilthead Bream with Vernaccia di San Gimignano