Baked Fish Stuffed with Walnuts Recipe

Ingredients:

1 large sea bass fish, scaled and cleaned (keep the head on)

For the Stuffing
1 large onion, finely grated or ground
1 ½ cups walnuts, ground
1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper

For flavor
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
fresh juice of ½ lemon (2-3 tablespoons)


Method:

1. Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Rub inside and out with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the filling. Place the onion on a fine sieve and press to remove the juices. In a mixing bowl, combine onion, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.

3. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

4. Using a spoon, fill the cavity of the fish with the walnut stuffing. Make sure you pack the mixture tightly inside.

5. Pin the cavity shut with wooden barbecue skewers or cocktail sticks. Or, if available, sew it up tightly with kitchen twine. Place the fish on a baking sheet and pour the lemon juice over it. If you sewed the cavity, place the fish on a baking sheet in an upright position, seam side down. It looks beautiful when you remove it from the oven and place it on a platter in that position. If you used skewers like me just lay the fish on one side. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the fish is browned and flakes easily with a fork.

6. Arrange the fish on a serving platter and discard the pins or twine. Garnish with lemon slices, pomegranate seeds and serve with rice or bread and pomegranate paste on the side. When serving, slice the fish into pieces making sure each one has some filling inside.