Branzino ai semi di finocchio (Sardinian recipe)

Today my twin brother was coming for lunch, so this morning my boy friend and I got up early to go to the market. Having someone coming over for whom I can cook always makes me very happy, because then I have an excuse to buy something special (and sometimes expensive). When you have guests you don't want to make mistakes, at least I don't, and then fish is the obvious choice. I know there are some people here in the Netherlands who are weary of preparing it, but I honestly think whole fishes are the easiest thing to make in the world. And this recipe is the proof I'm right! The one thing that is really important when you decide to make a seafood dish, is that your product is fresh. For that reason I was inspecting the fish at the Vismarkt today and was happy to find the sea basses were looking great. I like to go for this kind of fish when I'm cooking for others, because it has a delicate flavour and very few fish bones. I personally don't really mind to do some effort picking out the bones when I'm eating a delicious sardine or red mullet, but you can't expect everyone to feel the same. So sea bass it was. Looking at all the different kinds of seafood at the fish stall is something that reminds me of when I was a little girl, living in Sardinia. In those times my family and I often went to Auchan, a hypermarket in Cagliari, where I would wait at the fish department and contemplate all the beautiful colours and expressions of the fish, while my parents purchased groceries. Ingredients, serves 3 - 3 sea basses of 30cm, including head and tail (ask the fishmonger to do the gutting and scaling, it will save you time) - 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped - 1 big bunch of parsley, finely chopped - 1 handful of basil leaves, finely chopped - 1 small handful of fennel seeds - 3 sprigs of rosemary - 2 tbsp dried oregano - juice of 1 lemon + 1 lemon extra, to serve with the fish - 3 tbsp olive oil - salt and black pepper Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Clean the sea basses and rub some salt in the cavity of their bellies. Mix the garlic, parsley, basil, oregano and most part of the fennel seeds and stuff the fish. Don't forget to add a sprig of rosemary in the belly of each of the sea basses. Arrange them in a big, slightly oiled oven dish or baking sheet. Sprinkle the fish with the remaining fennel seeds, olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put the dish in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, bread, a nice salad or another dish that you might have made while the fish were in the oven! Buon appetito!