Tandoori masala fish

An oven-roasted whole fish is coated in a classic tandoori marinade. Traditionally in India this would be done with a local flat fish, such as pomfret, however I have used sea bream here, which is a firm, flat fish that cooks really well with spices. The creamy, tandoori marinade forms a crust around the fish that encases the flesh, retaining the moisture and keeping the fish intact.

SERVES 4 | PREP 20 MINS PLUS MARINATING

COOK 25 MINS | GF

2 whole sea breams (about 280g), scaled and gutted 1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp lemon juice smoked butter or ghee, for basting grilled lemons, naan, chutney and salad, to serve

MARINADE

3 garlic cloves

3cm ginger

50g cashew nuts, soaked in hot water for 20 mins 2 tbsp greek yogurt

1 heaped tsp gram flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

½ tsp ground white pepper

1 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1 Lay the sea breams on a large plate. Sprinkle the turmeric, lemon juice and some salt over the fish, and rub it into the skin. Set aside while you make the marinade.

2 Pound the garlic and ginger to a paste using a pestle and mortar. Blend the cashew nuts with 7 tbsp of water to a smooth, fine paste. Put in a large bowl along with the yogurt, flour, oil and garlic and ginger paste. Add the chilli, pepper and ground coriander, and season to taste. Add the coriander leaves and stir well. Spread the marinade all over the fish and leave to marinate for 1 hr.

3 Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Line a baking tray with foil and put a wire rack over the tray. Put the fish on the wire rack and bake for 20-25 mins. Halfway through, baste the fish with the smoked butter.

4 Once the flesh is cooked through and the marinade has formed a crust, transfer the fish to a serving platter. Serve the fish warm with the grilled lemons, naan, chutney and salad.

PER SERVING 358 kcals | fat 23.9G saturates 7.8G | carbs 5.1G | sugars 2.2G fibre 2.4G | protein 29.4G | salt 0.5G