Any fish on the bone works here—whole red snapper or salmon steaks would also be good choices—but I especially love just-caught sea bass. Set on a bed of fennel and smothered with tart-sweet Meyer lemons and cherry tomatoes, the fish absorbs all those flavors while it steam-roasts in dry white wine. I love the distinctive citrus aroma of Meyer lemons, but you can use regular lemons here, too.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　Extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 fennel bulbs, cored and sliced paper-thin

　　2 teaspoons fennel seeds

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 whole black sea bass (about 4 pounds), gutted and scaled

　　1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

　　2 Meyer lemons, cut into very thin slices

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

　　1 cup dry white wine

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with oil. Arrange the fennel in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the fennel seeds over the fennel and season with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 3

Center the fish on top. Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Scatter the tomatoes around the fish. Cover the fish with the lemon slices and parsley. Pour the wine around the fish and season everything with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 4

Roast until a knife pierces through the flesh of the fish with no resistance and the blade feels warm, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve at the table.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.