WHOLE BAKED SEABASS, CAPERS, PRAWNS, HERB BUTTER & FENNEL
Don’t be put off by using the full fish here as the result really is outstanding. Ask your fishmonger to clean and gut the fish for you.
Seabass is a beautiful. It has a firm texture and can hold its own with some big flavours. This dish is very easy to prepare. Once cooked the fish will just fall off the bone and melt in the mouth. Serve with salty buttered new potatoes and a mixed leaf salad.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 x whole sea bass – gutted and scaled
100g North Atlantic prawns
50g capers
100g soft butter
Mixture of herbs – chives, dill, parsley, chervil
2 lemons and zest of 1
1 fennel bulb
Olive oil
Table Salt
Method:
Pre heat oven to 200c/gas mark 6
Firstly, finely chop your selection of herbs, these can be as many varieties as you choose. Drain off the capers and mix these through the butter along with the prawns and herbs and lemon zest. This will be used to stuff the sea bass.
Slice the fennel in half, cut out the root and thinly slice. Mix this in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt. Set aside.
Wash the sea bass and pat it dry. Lay the fish onto a sheet of foil, take the butter mix and stuff this inside the belly of the sea bass. Brush the fish with olive oil on both sides and season. Slice the lemon and lay lengthways along the fish.
Wrap the sea bass in the foil tightly making sure there is no part where the butter will escape during the cooking.
Place on a baking tray and cook for around 15 minutes. Open the foil slightly and cook for a further 5 minutes until a golden brown.
Remove from the oven, serve with the shaved fennel and remains of the cooking butter spooned over. Enjoy!
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