This Mediterranean Fish Recipe Will Blow Your Mind

Recipe: 1. Wash and pat dry the fish. 2. Peel and slice the carrot, potato, cherry tomatoes, half of the lemon, and onion into rings. (I personally prefer whole carrots—don’t ask me why.) 3. Smash the garlic cloves with enthusiasm—just enough to slightly crush them. The fact that the skin comes off so easily might feel a bit demoralizing, but just roughly chop half of them and finely mince the other half for the sauce. 4. Squeeze the remaining lemon half into a sauce bowl, adding olive oil and the minced garlic. 5. Season the sauce with salt, black pepper, paprika, and thyme—don’t overdo the spices, we’re chasing the beauty of simplicity here. 6. Rub the sauce generously over the fish in a baking dish. If you use your hands, you’re honoring the fish’s soul. 7. Stuff the fish with lemon slices, bay leaves, roughly chopped garlic, and a sprig of rosemary. 8. Place the fish on a grill tray and toss the vegetables in the remaining sauce. 9. Lay the fish on top and bake in a preheated 200°C oven (top and bottom heating mode—seriously, why does no one specify oven settings? This bothers me deeply) for about 30 minutes. If you have a kitchen thermometer, for the love of all things holy, the thickest part should hit 60°C—that’s when it’s done. 10. Clean the fish’s fins, then make a cut along the spine from the tail to the head, opening it up from the bottom upwards. If you don’t know how to clean a fish, please learn—this is the beginning of a new chapter in your life. Cut along the centerline and serve the boneless side to your significant other—or keep it for yourself. 11. Plate everything as you wish and garnish with chopped parsley. Note: I always buy fresh fish and freeze them (just like I do with bread). Now, here’s a game-changing method for defrosting fish in one hour—get ready: Put the fish in a ziplock bag and submerge it in a bowl filled with tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. And then ask yourself: How the hell did this big fish thaw so fast?