Dorade Royale

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 branches fresh cilantro
• One 3-to-4-pound whole dorade royale (gilt-head bream)
• snapper
• or grouper
• or 2 1/2 pounds fillets
• 1 heaping tablespoon tamarind paste
• or 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine
• One 6-inch knob of ginger
• half peeled and grated
• half cut in 2 pieces
• 1 1/2 preserved lemons (recipe follows)
• diced
• 8 lemons (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• About 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• plus more if necessary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and smear 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 13-by-9-inch ovenproof glass baking pan.
2. Stick the cilantro inside the belly of the fish, or scatter around the fillets and slide into the pan.
3. Stir together the tamarind paste or concentrate, the brown sugar, and the soy sauce in a small mixing bowl, adding enough water to thin until runny.
4. Stir in the white wine, and spoon the sauce over the fish.
5. Scatter the grated and cut ginger and the preserved lemons around the fish, and drizzle the remaining oil on top.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until just cooked through.
7. Remove the ginger knobs and serve.
8. Cut off the very ends of each lemon.
9. Cut each one lengthwise into quarters, cutting to but not through the opposite end.
10. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of salt into the cut sides of each lemon.
11. Put the lemons in a large jar (its fine if you have to squeeze them in, because they will shrink), and cover completely with lemon juice.
12. Let sit for a day.
13. The next day, if they are not covered with lemon juice, pour a thin film of olive oil over the lemons.
14. This will help keep them sealed while they preserve.
15. Put the jar in the refrigerator and allow to cure for 2 to 3 weeks.
16. Before using, scrape off the pulp if desired.