You can easily increase the quantities for this tray bake to serve more, but do use an additional roasting tray, otherwise you’ll end up steaming rather than roasting everything, and it’s the lovely crispy bits that make this dish.
SERVES 2
500g waxy salad potatoes, cut into 1cm slices
1 lemon, cut into 1cm slices
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
4 fresh or dried bay leaves
4 anchovies in oil, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
2 sea bass fillets (approx. 100–150g each)
250g asparagus
A handful of pitted black or green olives
1 tbsp capers
Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.
- Put the potato and lemon slices into a roasting tray. Add the onion, bay leaves, anchovies and garlic. Squeeze the juice from the cut ends of the lemon over the top. Add a really good glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together and put into the oven.
- Cook for 30–35 mins, turning everything a couple of times, until the potatoes are soft and starting to turn golden.
- Rub the sea bass and asparagus in enough olive oil to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Place the fish on top of the potatoes in the roasting tray. Scatter over the olives and capers. Return the tray to the oven and cook for another 8–10 mins, until the asparagus is almost tender and the sea bass is cooked through.
Make it Flexible
Other fish fillets can be used – however, if they are particularly thick, increase the cooking time by a few minutes so they cook through. I really like using bream or mackerel, though if I’m not going to use fish at all, then 250g halloumi cheese and a large portobello or flat mushroom make a great alternative. Prepare and cook as you would the sea bass.
The Flexible Pescatarian by Jo Pratt, published by White Lion Publishing