A roasted whole sea bass makes a beautifully light dinner for 2 people over the spring and summer months, when bass is at its peak in Britain. Roasting is a simple technique which flatters sea bass' delicate white flesh.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1 whole sea bass
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 knob of butter
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
2
Before roasting, make sure the fish has been scaled and gutted
3
Make 3 slashes on each side of the sea bass, rub with olive oil and season well. You could stuff the cavity of the fish with aromatic herbs and vegetables
4
Add the fish to a large roasting tray and cook for 20-25 minutes, basting regularly in pan juices. For a little extra richness, add a knob of butter 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time and baste the fish after it melts
5
To check that the fish is cooked insert a knife between the flesh and the bone. it should come away easily
Variations
As well as stuffing the fish, you can lay fresh vegetables into the base of the baking tray before adding the sea bass - these should cook at roughly the same rate as the sea bass. Sliced fennel, peppers and tomatoes all go nicely and make a nice accompaniment for the fish once cooked.
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