Seabass in crazy water

The term acqua pazza, which translates as crazy water, refers to the poaching liquid in this dish – a combination of herbs, tomatoes, capers, chilli and wine, lending a zingy, fresh piquancy to the soft white flesh of the seabass. If you can’t get small fish, try cooking one very large bass in your biggest pan and simply put it in the centre of the table.

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins PREP 15 mins EASY

4 small whole seabass, gutted (ask your fishmonger to do this) extra virgin olive oil, for frying 1 garlic clove, very finely sliced 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 500g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved a glass of white wine big handful of capers small handful of flat parsley, chopped small handful of basil leaves, torn

1 Check that your gutted fish are free from remnants of their innards and wash thoroughly under cold running water. Pat them thoroughly dry.

2 In a very large, high-sided frying pan for which you have a lid, heat a good glug of olive oil over a medium flame and carefully lay the fish side by side. Sprinkle over the garlic, chilli and a good pinch or two of salt. After 4 mins, gently turn the fish over and add the tomatoes. Leave to sizzle for another 4 mins. Now add the wine and capers, cover, and simmer for a further 4 mins until the fish is cooked through. You can check by piercing the flesh at the thickest part of the body. The eyes will have turned white, too.

3 Carefully lay the fish on four warmed plates. Add the parsley and basil to the pan, turn up the heat for a minute or two to reduce the tomatoes, capers and sauce to a syrupy consistency, and spoon onto the seabass.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • 1 of 5-a-day • gluten free

PER SERVING 403 kcals • fat 22g • saturates 5g • carbs 6g • sugars 5g • fibre 2g • protein 39g • salt 0.7g