Grilled saddled seabream with tomato sauce - Version of "fish à la Spetsiota"

Saddle Seabream ("Melanouri" in Greek) is a very tasty fish of the Greek waters and very popular during the Summer months. The term "à la Spetsiota" shows the origin of the dish which is none other than the very beautiful and picturesque island of Spetses in Saronic Gulf, not far away from Athens. "A la Spetsiota" is a specific way of cooking with very few but essential ingredients. According to the elder locals this is a very old recipe and the authentic one consists only of fish, ripe tomatoes, dried savory, salt, good quality of olive oil and... that's it!! Initially fish and tomatoes are grilled on charcoals, sprinkled with some coarse salt. Then the tomatoes are peeled and mashed with a fork, making a nice, almost, raw sauce. Plenty of olive oil is added and some salt and then the sauce is poured over the fish finishing with some fragrant savory sprinkled on top.... Simplicity at its best!! Through the years changes and/or additions (minor or not) took place and the original recipe lost some of its traditional colour but the taste is always nice. You can also use fish like whole Gilthead seabream, Common dentex or White grouper in slices, so feel free to subsitute the saddled seabream with something you prefer. The version of "à la Spetsiota" I'm giving you today is more enriched in ingredients but nothing stops you to try the authentic recipe as I described it above. Fresh, meaty fish is the key ingredient in this recipe which you can enjoy along with a fresh green salad

Recipe of Eirini Tsolakeli,
from "BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper

Ingredients (for 4 people):
4 Saddled Seabream (about 400gr. each), cleaned and gutted
1 tea-cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

For the tomato sauce:
60ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely grated
1 ½Kg of ripe tomatoes, peeled and cleaned of the seeds and finely chopped (or 2 tins of tomatoes concassé + 100 ml of water)
1 ½ tsp of tomato paste, dissolved in a bit of warm water
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
salt
pepper

Method:
In a wide not too deep pot warm the oil in medium heat and sauté the onion stirring with a wooden spoon. When it becomes translucent add the grated carrot and stir. Add then the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened but not left without any liquids.

Preheat the oven grill to the highest temperature. Place the rack at the second (from the top) position of the oven.

Brush the fish with some oil on both sides and season with salt. In a pyrex dish (or other oven pan) spread half of the tomato sauce and on top place the fishes. Pour over with the rest of the tomato sauce and sprinkle on top with the parsley.

Put the dish in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes on the one side and 4-5 minutes on the other side.

Transfer the fishes on a serving platter, pour over with the sauce and serve immediately.