Photography by Hudi Greenberger

Bronzini

Shabbos + Purim + Chanie Nayman + Hudi Greenberger = huge fish board!

When Mrs. Nayman asked me to present some of my seudah recipes for the Family Table Purim edition, so many things came to mind… Then I checked the calendar and remembered that the Purim seudah will be on Friday this year. I had to come up with something different for Shabbos, no salmon, no gefilte, it’s Shushan Purim! So I told her I’d be preparing a whole fish per person, and she said, “Why not a huge fish board?” Then I spoke to Hudi Greenberger, and he said, “I do boards every Shabbos in my house and never get to photograph them.” So for the rest of the story, check out the results! The salatim… that’s for a different issue.

SERVES 2-4 AS AN APPETIZER (DOUBLE, TRIPLE OR QUADRUPLE AS DESIRED)

• 1 whole bronzini, butterflied (see note)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• sliced lemon
• fresh parsley
• fresh dill
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• olive oil, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Sprinkle the inside of the fish with salt and pepper, then stuff with some sliced lemon, a nice hunk of fresh parsley, some fresh dill, a sprig of rosemary, and a sprig of thyme.

Take a nice piece of foil and add a good drizzle of olive oil so the fish skin doesn’t stick to it. Place the fish on the foil and roll it up. Place it in the oven and bake for 25–27 minutes. Let it cool.

Then use your imagination and have fun creating your fish board! Serve for the Purim seudah or for Shabbos. If serving Friday night, don’t forget to say “l’kavod Shabbos kodesh” and chill a nice bottle of white wine to go with it.

Note: I asked my local fish market to butterfly the bronzini so there are almost no bones in it.