Roasted Sea Bream with Fennel, Cherry Tomatoes & New Potatoes

Plaice is a sustainable fish but when buying it make sure that it has been caught in trawls to reduce the impact of disturbing bottom dwelling species (check labels, or buy from a good fishmonger like Moxon’s, or the lovely fish van on North Cross Road Market). Make sure fillets are over 30cm, anything smaller is too young. It has long been overlooked in higher end gastronomy and rarely features on the menus of top restaurants, but it really is a superb fish, possessing a fine, moist texture and subtle but distinctive flavor. Other options to Plaice are Flounder, Dab or Sea Bream.

Preparation time 10 mins

Cooking time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Sea Bream – filleted
  • 1 Red Onion – sliced
  • 2 Small Garlic Cloves
  • 1 Red Pepper – chopped
  • 1 Bulb of Fennel – sliced
  • 2 Courgette – sliced
  • 10 Cherry Tomatoes – halved
  • Small Handful of Dill – chopped
  • 1/2 Lemon squeezed
  • 1/2 Lemon sliced
  • New Potatoes – boiled & sliced
  • Salt & Pepper 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and fennel, season, and cook until it softens slightly.
  3. Spoon the fennel mix into a baking tray.
  4. Add the tomatoes, chopped pepper, sliced courgette and dill.
  5. Arrange the sea bream fillets, skin-side down, over the veg mixture. Squeeze over half the lemon, then drizzle with the remaining oil; season well.
  6. Cut 4 lemon slices from the remaining half and sit two on each fillet. Return to the oven for 8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the veg is tender.
  7. Serve with boiled new potatoes .

In Season this month: 

Fruits & Nuts
Forced Rhubarb

Vegetables & Herbs
Asparagus, Basil, Broccoli, Chives, Dill, Jersey Royal New Potatoes Lettuce & Salad Leaves, Morel Mushrooms, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Radishes, Rocket, Samphire, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Onions, Watercress, Wild Garlic, Wild Nettles

Meat & Game
Lamb, Venison, Wood Pigeon

Fish & Shellfish
Crab, Langoustine, Lobster, Plaice, Prawns, Salmon, Sardine, Sea Trout, Shrimp, Whitebait

Going out of season
Cockles, Oysters, Venison, Wild Garlic, Winkles

Suzanne is a professional chef, wife and mother who has lived in East Dulwich all her life!

www.suzannejames.co.uk

This article first appeared in the April 2018 issue of SE22 magazine.