Roasted sea bass with chorizo, red onion and cherry tomatoes

James Martin’s stylish sea bass recipe is ready in under half an hour.

Ingredients

For the chorizo

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 100g/3½oz chorizo, cut into chunks
• 2-3 sprigs thyme
• 50g/1¾oz black olives, stones removed
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sea bass

• 1 large sea bass, head removed, scaled and gutted
• small bunch fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chorizo.

3. Fry for 4-5 minutes until the oil runs out of the chorizo and the onions soften.

4. Add the thyme, olives and tomatoes and stir to combine.

5. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, before transferring the mixture to an ovenproof dish.

6. Using a sharp knife, slash skin of the sea bass diagonally along each side so that the flesh is exposed and place sprigs of thyme into the slashes.

7. Season the sea bass with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place on top of the chorizo mixture.

8. Drizzle over the olive oil and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the fish is tender and cooked all the way through.

9. To serve,take the cooking dish to the table.

Required techniques

• How to skin and fillet a flatfish