Baked sea bass, fennel, tomatoes, and lemon

*Recognise the background of this blog? It's my chopping board from this recipe!*

There's nothing like a big, fat, fresh fish that's been steamed in wine with veg. YUM.

Buy the sea bass whole and gutted (fishmongers do this with ease so ask if it’s not already done - I got mine done in the Oxford Covered Market) then place on a large square of foil on top of sliced fennel, tomato, lemon wedges, salt, pepper, and any herbs you fancy. I like stuffing mine with flat leaf parsley, maybe some thyme, dill or whatever fresh herbs you have around. Salt and pepper the fish, then start wrapping it up from one side (like a pasty) and once one side is air tight, pour half a glass of white wine through the gap on the other side. Seal it all the way up and place on a baking tray for 20-30 mins at 180. 

Here in the pic, there are scallops too. I will show this recipe (we had it for starter) in the next blog post, click here to view it. 

I've made homemade mayo (2 egg yolks and a few drops of white wine vinegar whisked with oil gradually until it emulsifies the egg and amalgamates) to go with this:

Serve with boiled new potatoes coated in butter and salt, along with the rest of the white wine. 

Only use wine in cooking that you like to drink (it improves the quality of the cooking but you can also enjoy the leftovers!)

So, appreciate you local fish mongers and get healthy cooking!

ZP x