Recipe & Pairing | Paola Bacchia's (Adriatico) Barbecued Bream

Paola Bacchia’s "Adriatico" (available now!) is a food journey along Italy's Adriatic coast to discover authentic dishes off the tourist trail. Spindly wooden fishing piers, white-washed walls, colourful villages and sea-facing piazze dot the 750-mile coastline, with a history touched by Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Venetian and Austrian populations.

We’re pretty sure that barbecued bream (with a great wine pairing, naturally) reaches far back in that history too. Here’s Paola’s recipe for this fresh classic, plus our picks.

Pairing tip: "Nothing says summer to me like a grilled or barbecued fish, paired with a nice, crisp white wine. And I’m looking for a wine that can partner with this equally, rather than trying to steal the spotlight - so my preference isn’t for something super ripe or aromatic. Instead I’d be reaching for a lean chardonnay with a clean edge (think Chablis, Yarra Valley) or an aged semillon to bring that classic toasty nuttiness to compliment every mouthful of this, be it my first or second helping." - Nick

Try this with:

Seville Estate Chardonnay 2021

All the regional qualities a wine lover could ask for - citrus, creamy nougat, ripping acid, deftly woven, and astounding complexity. It's no wonder this wine is so revered - a genuine standout of the vintage and representative of a winery at the top of its game. So often wineries don't meet the hype, but Seville Estate go beyond it: perfect chardonnay. No notes.

Pepper Tree Wines Limited Release Tallawanta Semillon 2013

We first encountered this wine at the 2024 Halliday awards dinner - it was in contention for Best Aussie White Wine (which it narrowly missed out on). It was immediately the best wine of the night for me, and that was before I new it was ten year old semillon. This is, in a word, perfection. There's no aspect that isn't out of this world good. It is among the greatest wines I've ever drunk, and I believe it will stay there. Absolutely outstanding. No notes.

BARBECUED WHOLE BREAM

ORATA ALLA BRACE

SERVES 4

"We have a portable grill on our balcony; I ask my husband Mark to get the fire going for outdoor cooking well in advance as it takes a good hour to reach the point where the coals are white hot and no longer smoking. When he has done all the hard work, I emerge from the kitchen wearing my apron, carrying a fish doused in olive oil, lemon, salt and herbs, and often holding a wine glass. The cooking is the easy part, the apron is probably just for show, and the wine is for me to enjoy while I am cooking. It’s an arrangement that works very well! If you cannot find bream, snapper is also delicious cooked over the coals. Just make sure the fish is as fresh as can be."

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) bream (either 1 large fish or 2–3 small ones)

• sea salt and freshly ground

• black pepper

• 125 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil

• 125 ml (½ cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 lemon, sliced

• oregano sprigs, to garnish

• crisp green salad, to serve

Clean and descale the fish (or ask your fishmonger to do it for you), then wash and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper on the skin as well as a bit in the cavity. Place the olive oil and lemon juice in a large bowl and add the whole fish. Scatter on half the dried oregano, then turn the fish over and scatter with the rest. Marinate for 1 hour, turning the fish occasionally so the marinade is evenly distributed.

Remove the fish from the marinade and arrange the lemon slices over the top. Grill over hot coals (or a preheated barbecue), brushing with the remaining marinade every 5 minutes or so. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish in the middle, but as a rough guide three fish will take 20 minutes, two fish about 25 minutes, and one fish 30–35 minutes.

Test by checking the flesh near the belly where an incision was made to remove the innards; if the flesh is white and comes away easily from the bones, it is ready.

Garnish the fish with oregano sprigs and serve with a green salad.

Recipe & images taken from Adriatico by Paola Bacchia, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $55).