Ingredients

For the Bronzini

• 2 whole Bronzini. Ask the fish counter to fillet the Bronzini and remove the scales. You can choose to leave the skin on or have it removed. I like to leave it on, the skin is tasty and easy to eat. *if the Bronzini are larger you may only need 1 fillet per person
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of coarse salt
• 1 orange for zesting

For the Vierge Sauce

• 1 Shallot, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of chives, finely chopped
•  1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/3 cup of pitted Niçois or Kalamata black olives, halved
• 2 tbsp of capers (left whole if it is the small kind), if it is the full caper berry, halve or quarter depending the size
• 1/2 cup basil, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons roasted pine nuts
• 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Trim the edges of your Bronzini fillet for a clean presentation using a sharp knife. Make four diagonal incisions in the skin of each fillet.
3. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on the cooking sheet. Gently place the Bronzini Fillets next to each other on the sheet, skin side down.
4. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the top of the filets with a pinch of sea salt.
5. Set the cooking sheet on the top rack of the oven. Set timer for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, it is time to make the sauce Vierge.
7. Mix the shallot, green onions, chives, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, basil, pine nuts together in a mixing bowl with the 3/4 cup of olive oil. 
8. Zest one lemon into the Vierge Sauce. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the sauce using a strainer to avoid lemon seeds getting into your Vierge! Mix and set aside. (Le Chef’s note: Vierge sauce is even better made a couple hours in advance, the shallots lose their acidity when resting in the olive oil)
9. Once the 10 minutes are up, check on the Bronzini. The fish should have an opaque white color. The cooking time may vary given the size of the fish. If the flesh still looks a little rosy in color in the center, set it back in the oven for another 2 minutes, keeping a close eye.
10. Once the Bronzini is cooked, carefully remove it from the cooking tray with a thin, long, spatula.
11. Place 2 filets per person in the center of each plate.
12. Top each whole Bronzini with a fine dusting of orange zest (it adds a beautiful citrus note to the fish), about 1/4 of the orange per filet.
13. Spoon 1/4 cup of Vierge Sauce over  the filets on each plate.
14. Serve immediately.