Chef Giorgio Locatelli has earned a coveted Michelin star, twice. And, it is his aligning qualities of Made in Italy savoir-faire and creative innovation—along with his penchant for beautiful eyewear—that inspired Safilo Group to choose this remarkable restaurateur as ambassador for its eponymous SAFILO brand’s 2020 collection. 

With cooking at home taking on new importance during the crisis, Chef Giorgio Locatelli was kind enough to share one of his own favorite recipes with Eyecare Business, and a complementary wine pairing. Dig in.

Baked Whole Fish
This is a great recipe to cook at home as you use the whole fish—in the restaurant we would always cook a portion of fish. This recipe is fantastic with spring vegetables but can be substituted with other vegetables too. Makes 6 servings.
Wine Pairing: I would pair it with “Le Vaglie” Stefano Antonucci, Marche
 
2 small courgettes, sliced
2 medium potatoes, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
5 cloves garlic
1 green chili, chopped
2 sprigs parsley
sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons 
2 sprigs rosemary 
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sea bass, around 1.5kg, cleaned
1 glass white wine (70ml)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. 
2. Mix all the vegetables with the garlic, chili, and parsley in a large roasting tray. 
3. Season and drizzle with half the olive oil.
4. Season the cavity of the sea bass. Slice one of the lemons and put inside, along with the rosemary. 
5. Lay the fish on top of the vegetables and pour the white wine over the top. Sprinkle on some sea salt and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. To test that it is cooked, insert the tip of a knife under the fillets and it should come out hot. 
6. To serve, remove the skin and then lift off the top piece of fillet to one side. Then carefully lift off the piece of belly fillet—this is where most of the bones are concentrated, so lift these out. Now you can run a fork under the backbone to release it and lift it out, then remove the remaining pieces of fillet. 
7. Drizzle the fish with the juice of the remaining lemon juice and the rest of the extra virgin olive oil and serve with the vegetables.