Quick to prepare and easy to make, this dish is packed full of flavour. Serve on its own or with a large green salad. Tip! Make sure you pour the cooking juices over the top of the sea bass – they're delicious and really add to the dish.
Jane Devonshire
Everyday Cook
Skill level
Preparation
15minutes
Cooking time
10minutes
Healthy
Ingredients
Serves 3-4
1 onion, chopped
50ml olive oil, plus a little extra for frying
350g cherry tomatoes; I used the plum variety
50g olives; I used pitted black olives from a jar, but go with your favourite, green or black
2 garlic cloves, chopped
20g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
4–5 sprigs of fresh thyme, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
450g cooked new potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 whole sea bass, gutted and descaled, approx. 350g each
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
Gently sauté the onions in a frying pan in a little oil for a few minutes, then transfer to a deep roasting tin with two-thirds of the olive oil, the cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic and two-thirds of the herbs. Pour over most of the lemon juice and all the zest, and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked potatoes and toss together so everything is coated.
Place in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Stuff the fish with the remaining herbs, then place on top of the vegetables in the tin and drizzle over the remaining oil and lemon juice and a little more salt and pepper.
Cover with tin foil and return to the oven for 18–20 minutes, until the fish is easily pierced with a toothpick in the thickest part. Serve immediately, straight from the pot, or plate up with the fish on top of the vegetables and sprinkled with a few fresh herbs.