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Whole baked sea bass

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
10 to 30 mins

Serves
Serves 4

By Angela Hartnett
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the roast potatoes

  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 head fennel, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 500g/1lb 2oz waxy potatoes, such as Pink Fir Apple or Anya, scrubbed and thinly sliced
  • 10g/⅓oz dill
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sea bass

  • 2 tbsp black Niçoise olives
  • 400g/14oz ripe cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp large capers
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 unwaxed lemons, sliced
  • 2 line-caught wild whole sea bass, gutted and scaled
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 400ml/14fl oz white wine

For the salad

  • 1 head chicory, leaves separated
  • 1 bunch rocket
  • 1 head Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 head lollo rosso lettuce, leaves separated
  • 150g/5½oz sourdough croûtons
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 anchovies, chopped

Method

  1. To make the potatoes, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion, fennel and fennel seeds until starting to soften, this will take about 5-8 minutes. Place the potatoes in a roasting tin, add the fennel mixture, dill and drizzle with more oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until crispy.

  2. Meanwhile, make the sea bass. Line a baking tray with kitchen foil and baking paper that is large enough to make a parcel around the fish. Put the olives, tomatoes, capers and rosemary into the parcel. Place the lemon slices in the belly of the fish and season the fish all over with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the oil, pour in the white wine and fold the paper over to form a parcel. Bake in the oven with the potatoes for about 20 minutes (how long it takes will depend on the size of the fish) until cooked through, checking with a skewer.

  3. To make the salad, place the salad leaves and croûtons in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add the oil, vinegar and anchovies and mix. Pour the dressing over the salad in the bowl and mix to coat the leaves.

  4. Serve the sea bass with the potatoes and salad.

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