One pot, no stirring, and a Greek shape to it: pearl barley baked in the oven with leeks, celery and black-eyed peas until the grains are chewy and separate, with sea bream fillets laid on at the very end.
That late arrival is the trick worth taking away. Forty minutes in a 375°F oven leaves a covered pot loaded with stored heat, and that alone will take a thin fillet most of the way, so the fish needs no second pan and no separate attention. Bream is thin, though, and the gap between silky and dry is narrow — start checking at eight minutes rather than waiting for ten.
The leeks and celery, softened slowly in the oil at the start, do the job an onion usually does and still hold their shape after the long bake. Lemon zest and parsley go over the top at the end, with the halved lemon squeezed at the table. A serving carries 39 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber.
