Baked fish with fennel and smashed potatoes
Ingredients
- 250g baby new potatoes, halved if large
- ½ fennel bulb, very thinly sliced from root to top
- 2½tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 150g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 50g olives, any colour, drained (optional)
- 2 sea bream or mackerel fillets, each about 125g
- finely grated zest of ¼ lemon
- 1tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 lemon wedges, for squeezing
- sea salt and black pepper
Method
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Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan oven 200°C/gas 7. Put the
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potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Place
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over a high heat and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes then
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take off the heat and drain well in a colander. The potatoes should
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be not quite soft.
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Tip the potatoes onto a large baking tray and very lightly
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crush with a fork then push to one side. Add the sliced fennel to
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the tray, season both vegetables with a little salt and plenty of
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ground black pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Bake
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for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are getting crusty around the
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edges.
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Take the potatoes out of the oven and scatter over the spring
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onions, tomatoes and olives, if using. Toss together lightly. Make
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2 gaps in the vegetables and place the fish fillets on the baking
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tray, skin-side up. Drizzle the fish with the remaining oil. Mix the
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lemon zest and thyme leaves together and sprinkle over the fish
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fillets.
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Return the tray to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes, or until
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the fish is cooked and the tomatoes have softened. Serve with
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freshly cooked vegetables and lemon wedges for squeezing
