Seabass, Roast Potatoes, Salsa Verde, Yoghurt
Fish graces my dinner table as rarely as it is caught in the British channels. The moral vs economic struggle often hits me as I poise over the cheap, farmed fish aisle of Lidl. Yes, I would love to enjoy fresh, wild seabass, but when most starting salaries for Londoners barely skim 25k, the thought of splurging an eighth of my weekly budget on such luxuries makes my insides squirm.
Despite the dire warnings of seapsiracy ringing in my ears, I allow myself to sin every now and then. I’m not fool - this fish isn’t exactly plump, flaky or buttery, but it does allow me to experiment with different sides and sauces which transform my mid-week dinner into feeling something much more luxurious.
I love this recipe because it follows my favourite sort of half and half kind of cooking: whack half in the oven, and do the rest whilst it’s cooking.
Budget friendly meals can get a bit samey - another lentil ragout could well make me lose my rag. This dinner, may not be the cheapest, but you can tweak ingredients accordingly to suit your budget.
Ingredients
White fish (cod, hake, seabass)
Maris piper potatoes
Fresh parsley
Fresh spinach
Green chillies
Lemon juice
Capers
Honey
White whine vinegar
Fresh garlic
Greek yoghurt
Roasted garlic
Lemon juice
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C (fan). Peel and cut your potatoes into quarters and boil for 8 minutes in salted water. Oil a tray and preheat 2 minutes before your potatoes are finished. During this time you can also drizzle half a bulb of garlic in olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Put this in the oven at any point - it should only take 20 minutes or so.
Once your potatoes are par-boiled, drain and put them straight into the hot oil, giving them a good shake. Leave them to cook for 25-30 minutes - you’re going to want the fish in at the end.
Whilst your potatoes are cooking, make your salsa verde. Mine isn’t a typical recipe, so feel free to use any fresh herb and swap out ingredients. I added some fresh spinach for some extra iron, but you can always leave this step out.
Into a blender goes spinach, fresh garlic, lemon juice, parsley, green chillies, a generous amount of salt and a tiny drizzle of honey to balance out the acidity. Whizz until smooth.
In another bowl mix yoghurt, lemon juice, your roasted garlic, and a slight pinch of salt.
By this point your potatoes should be ready. Salt and pepper your fish fillets to tastes, give the potatoes one last toss and put your fish into the same roasting pan.
Wash up, plate up, serve and enjoy.
