Eyeing up a taste of the sea

FENNEL SEA BASS WITH SAUTÉED COURGETTES, SPINACH AND GARLIC

by Carina Contini of Contini Restaurants in Edinburgh

THE drama of serving a whole fish, head and tail intact, really depends on your guests. Even some of our best “foodie” friends in the restaurant don’t like the look of those eyes staring at you across the table.

Alternatively, you can buy fillets. Small, individual fillets will have come from farmed fish, but if you’ve got a good fishmonger, ask him to fillet a whole sea bass and cut it into pieces.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

8 sea bass fillets, washed and dried salt

8 springs of fennel, torn Sautéed courgettes, spinach and garlic: extra virgin olive oil, for frying 2 courgettes, thinly sliced

400g spinach leaves

4 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced salt and freshly ground black pepper juice of ½ unwaxed lemon

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/ Gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a heavybased frying pan or griddle pan. When the oil is hot, place the fish, skin side down, into the oil. Fry for a few minutes until the skin is coloured. If you are using a griddle pan, the fish will be ready when it releases easily from the pan. Transfer to a baking tray and season with a little salt, the fennel and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the flesh is firm to the touch and translucent. 2 Meanwhile put a little oil in a frying pan that’s big enough for all your vegetables. Place over a high heat and when the oil is hot, add the vegetables one at a time, starting with the ones that needs cooking the longest. If the courgettes are cut quite small and thin, they will only take a few minutes. Similarly, the spinach only needs a minute or two to wilt slightly.

Add the garlic near the end to give a very light aroma that won’t overpower either the other vegetables or the lovely salty, iodine flavour of the fresh fish. The aim is to keep the vegetables crunchy. Season with the salt, pepper and lemon juice – just enough to give a background taste.

3 Serve both the fish and the vegetables alongside each other immediately.