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–+ servings
2 large whole fish sit on a baking tray with garnishing and some seasoning.

Pescado al Horno (Easy Roasted Fish Spanish-Style Recipe)

Byron
Roasted fish Spanish-style (known as Pescado al horno) is a classic Spanish seafood recipe that is ideal for making any time of year. It is made with your choice of whole fish stuffed with tasty homemade stuffing, and roasted to perfection with a Mediterranean palette of garnishings.
It’s a perfect seafood recipe when entertaining, as it can be scaled up or down to suit your party size. This recipe has very little prep work and can be made in around 30 minutes, and most importantly looks and tastes fantastic.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course lunch, Main Course, seafood
Cuisine American, Authentic Spanish recipe, fish, Mediterranean, Seafood
Servings 4 people, Main
Calories 682 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 large baking tray (40cm/15-inches)
  • 1 medium-size mixing bowl (for mixing the stuffing)

Ingredients

  • 2 whole fish scaled, gutted, and cleaned
  • 1 Lemon cut into wedges
  • 5 dried figs
  • 1/2 cup of green olives pitted
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp of nuts we used walnuts and cashews
  • 1 teaspoon each of cumin ground garlic, onion powder, oregano (for the seasoning mix)
  • 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

For the stuffing

  • 1 cup of breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
  • Half a red onion
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • Juice from ½ a lemon

Instructions
 

Step 1 - Clean and prepare your fresh fish

  • Note: Skip this step if your fishmonger has already prepared the fish for you.
    2 whole bream sit on a white plate
  • First, clean your fish under some fresh water. Use the back of a knife to scale the fish by running the back of the blade from the tail up to the head. Once you've removed all the scales, give the fish another rinse under some fresh water.
    2 whole fish
    2 whole bream sit on a white plate
  • Next, remove the guts. Using a sharp knife, make an incision at the base of the fish and push the knife until you feel the backbone. Run the knife slowly from the back to the head of the fish. Your knife will likely stop when it hits the gill bones.
    2 whole bream sit on a white plate
  • Use sharp scissors to remove any fins and tails fin, then cut the joining bone around the gills. Remove the guts using your fingers and give the fish a final rinse in some fresh water.
    2 whole bream sit on a white plate

Step 2 - Season fish

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
    An oven dial turned up to 180C
  • Towel dry your whole fish and add them to a large baking tray with a splash of olive oil. Season with a few pinches of ground sea salt and some cracked black pepper. Set aside for use later.
    1 teaspoon of salt
    2 fish on a baking tray

Step 3 - Prepare stuffing

  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients (breadcrumbs, spices, dried herbs) along with the finely chopped onion and parsley.
    1 cup of breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, Half a red onion
    stuffing mix in a small bowl
  • Mix well by hand and slowly add some oil. You’ll know when it's ready as it will stay together when you press it firmly in your hand.
    1 tablespoon of olive oil, Juice from ½ a lemon
    stuffing mix ball in hands

Step 4 - Stuff fish and add garnishings

  • Use your hands to add the stuffing to the fish, using your fingers to press the mixture into the cavity. It’s a pretty messy job so it’s best to add the stuffing to the fish while they’re in the baking tray. Don’t worry if some stuffing falls out, it’ll crisp up nicely once oven-baked.
    stuffing fish
  • Next, add crushed nuts and sprigs of rosemary along with the rest of the olive oil, the spices mix, and a good squeeze of lemon juice on top.
    1 Lemon, 1/2 cup of green olives, 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon each of cumin, 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 tbsp of nuts
    garnishing ingredients are covering 2 large bream fish
  • Bake in the oven for around 15-20 minutes on 350°F / 180°C. Check the fish is done by making sure the flesh is opaque white. The skin should also be just slightly crispy.
    2 large whole fish sit on a baking tray with garnishing and some seasoning.

Step 5 - Serve

  • Serve straight from the baking tray and garnish with some fresh parsley, chopped dried figs, and some lemon zest.
    5 dried figs
    2 large whole fish sit on a baking tray with garnishing and some seasoning.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 200gCalories: 682kcalCarbohydrates: 45.6gProtein: 62.7gFat: 30.5gSaturated Fat: 5.2gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 1114mgPotassium: 1317mgFiber: 7.4gSugar: 15.6gCalcium: 174mgIron: 4mg
Keyword 30 minute recipe, Easy Dinner ideas, easy to make, fish, main course, one-pot recipe, oven roasted, pescado, roasted fish, White fish