Nigel Slater Sea Bass with Lemon Potatoes Recipe

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 01/19/23
Sea Bass and Lemon Potatoes
Jonathan Lovelkin
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 2 servings

Nigel Slater is one of my favourite food writers. I am so pleased to have permission from his publishers to bring you this recipe Sea Bass with Lemon Potatoes Recipe and is from his book, Tender a collection of over 400 recipes.

As Nigels says, "baking a joint of meat or a large fish on a layer of potatoes is a reliable way of ensuring they stay moist. The juices from the roast are soaked up by the potatoes, making sure that not a drop of flavour is wasted. Large fish such as sea bass and sea bream can be cooked this way as can Cornish mullet. Line-caught, ocean-friendly sea bass is not too difficult to find. I reckon on 1kg fish being enough for two".

This recipe requires you use a whole fish. Do not make it with sea bass fillets as they are too fine and will burn and become tough. 

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • 1 fillet sea bass

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

For the Potatoes:

  • 1 pound (500 grams) potatoes

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 lemon

  • 12 anchovy fillets

  • 1 cup (250 milliliters) vegetable stock

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Set the oven to 200 C/Gas 6. Slice each potato three or four times. If you do this lengthways, you will end up with long elegant pieces.

  3. Warm a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a roasting tin over a moderately hot flame then put the potatoes in and let them colour on both sides. They cook best if you leave them alone for several minutes in between stirring. You want them to be pale gold on both sides.

  4. Cut the lemon in half, then into thick segments. Add to the potatoes with the anchovy and a grinding of black pepper and then pour over the stock.

  5. Lay the fish on top of the potatoes, brush with a little olive oil, then add the herbs and a mild seasoning of salt and black pepper.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven until the flesh will slide easily from the bone in big easy pieces, which will take twenty-five to thirty minutes. Serve the fish with the potatoes and spoon over the stock

Don't forget to check other great recipes from Nigel Slater's great book, 

Sea Bass is the best fish for this recipe, but do not be afraid to try other whole fish. The principle of making the dish is the same. Always check to make sure the fish is cooked before serving by ensuring the flesh comes away from the bones easily.

Recipe reproduced with Permission from Fourth Estate

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
958 Calories
59g Fat
93g Carbs
30g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 958
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 59g 76%
Saturated Fat 9g 43%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 1363mg 59%
Total Carbohydrate 93g 34%
Dietary Fiber 16g 57%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 237mg 1,185%
Calcium 207mg 16%
Iron 7mg 37%
Potassium 2191mg 47%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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