Dourada in the Air FryerWhole Sea Bream, Portuguese Style

Dourada is gilt-head sea bream, and in the Algarve it comes off the charcoal grill whole, salted with coarse salt and served with boiled potatoes, a simple salad and a jug of olive oil. It's one of the most ordered fish in Portuguese restaurants because the flesh is white, sweet and easy to take off the bone.

An air fryer won't give you charcoal smoke, but it does crisp the skin and keep the flesh moist. The two things that matter: coarse salt on the skin 15 minutes before cooking, and one fish per basket, so hot air can reach all of it.

The recipe

Dourada in the Air FryerWhole Sea Bream, Portuguese Style

Dourada in the air fryer: whole sea bream with coarse salt, served the Portuguese way with boiled potatoes, salad and olive oil. Simple and quick.

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Prep15 min

Cook18 min

Total33 min

Serves2

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

2

½×1×2×3×

• 2 whole sea bream (400-500 g each), scaled and gutted
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
• Olive oil for brushing, plus extra to serve
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 2 lemon slices (optional)
• 600 g small waxy potatoes
• 1 small lettuce, 2 tomatoes and 1/2 onion, for the salad
• White wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, and parsley, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the fish, pat them very dry inside and out, and cut 2 shallow slashes on each side. Sprinkle coarse salt all over and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
3. Make the salad: sliced lettuce, tomato and thinly sliced onion, dressed with olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt just before serving.
4. Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C for 3 minutes. Brush off any undissolved salt, tuck a bay leaf and a lemon slice inside each fish and brush the skin with olive oil.
5. Put one fish in each basket of a dual air fryer, or cook them one at a time. If the fish is too long, take off the tail or the head.
6. Air fry at 200 °C for 8 minutes. Turn the fish carefully with a wide spatula and cook for 6-8 minutes more, until the skin is crisp and the thickest part reads about 60 °C, or the flesh lifts easily off the bone.
7. Serve whole with the potatoes and salad, and pour olive oil over the fish and potatoes at the table. Some cooks add chopped garlic and parsley to the oil.

Notes

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Ninja Foodi 8 Qt DualZone Air Fryer

Two drawers that finish together: bacalhau in one, batatas a murro in the other. Ideal for Portuguese meals, which are usually a main plus a side.

Tip: Use the sync-finish button so both drawers are ready at the same moment.

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Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

How to fillet a cooked dourada

Run a knife along the backbone from head to tail. Lift the top fillet off in one or two pieces. Then lift the whole spine away by the tail, taking the head with it, and you're left with the bottom fillet. Watch for the small pin bones near the head.

What to serve with it

The Portuguese plate is always the same: batatas cozidas (boiled potatoes), salada mista and olive oil. A glass of vinho verde is the usual drink. For more fish ideas, see our Portuguese seafood guide, or try sardinhas assadas and carapaus fritos in the air fryer.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Amazon best seller

Ninja Foodi 8 Qt DualZone Air Fryer

Two drawers that finish together: bacalhau in one, batatas a murro in the other. Ideal for Portuguese meals, which are usually a main plus a side.

Tip: Use the sync-finish button so both drawers are ready at the same moment.

View on Amazon

Amazon best seller

Alpha Grillers instant-read thermometer

Takes the guesswork out of piri-piri chicken and bifanas: 74 °C in the thickest part and the chicken is done.

Tip: Check the thickest piece, away from the bone.

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Portuguese

Algarve sea salt

Sea salt from the Algarve salt pans, for coarse-salt roasting batatas a murro and for finishing grilled fish.

Tip: A little goes a long way. Use it for finishing, not boiling water.

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Portuguese

Costa Nova Rosa dinner plate

An 11-inch Portuguese stoneware plate with a soft organic edge. Pairs with the Costa Nova bowls.

Tip: Buy one to check the colour, then build a set.

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