Sea Bream and Fisherman’s Potatoes By Mark Hix

SEA BREAM WITH FISHERMAN’S POTATOES

In my eyes, serving fish whole is the best way and easy to cook. Presenting a whole fish to your friends or family has a celebratory feel about it. I recently had some beautiful gilt head sea bream off a local fishermen which are a bit of a rarity around here. I cooked one for supper with a fishy version of the classic pommes Boulanger. You can use any meaty fish for this like bass or turbot or brill and feel free to use a bought in fish soup if it’s too much of a faff.

MARK HIX

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sea bream weighing about 1.2 - 1.5 kg • Extra virgin rapeseed oil • Cornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • A few sprigs of rosemary

For the Fisherman’s Potatoes

• 2-3 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced • 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced • 1-2 litre of fish soup or fish stock • A couple knobs of butter

Serves 4

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C Gas mark 6. 2. In a roasting or ovenproof dish, large enough to fit the fish arrange two layers of the sliced potatoes overlapping then scatter over the onion and use up the rest of the potatoes overlapping them as in the photo. Cover with the fish soup and put the butter on top. Bake for about an hour, basting the potatoes as they are cooking. 3. Turn the oven up to 240ºc/Gas mark 8 or the hottest setting your oven will go to. 4. Score the sea bream a few times, lay on top of the potatoes and season the scored side of the fish and spoon over some rapeseed oil. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes then scatter over the rosemary and return to the oven for a few minutes. 5. Test the fish by inserting a knife into the incisions and see if it comes away from the bone easily and serve immediately.