Fish

Orata

A tier

Orata is the Italian name for gilt-head bream—literally nodding to the gold (oro) mark on the head—and the default word in Italian fish markets from Liguria to Sicily. Flesh is dense and white with a clean sweetness that Italian cooks protect with oil, garlic, rosemary, and little else. Whole orata al forno or alla griglia defines seaside trattoria cookery; fillets appear in lighter modern plates with seasonal vegetables. Buy fish with clear eyes and tight belly walls; Italian quality talk still favours wild when priced fairly, though Adriatic and Tyrrhenian farmed orata is excellent when chilled fast. Salt the cavity, oil the skin, and roast until the dorsal meat just leaves the bone. Leftover flesh is superb cold with lemon and beans the next day—orata holds texture better than many soft white fish.