Great Good Friday Fish Recipe

We just cooked this for dinner, it’s a beautiful recipe from Gary Rhodes and is one of my all time favourite fish dishes. If you’re watching your weight simply make the mash potatoes with skimmed milk only and use just one tablespooon of oil in the dressing – still tastes amazing!

PANFRIED SEABASS WITH CHILI SPRING ONIONS AND CREAMY POTATOES

Serves 4

4 x 175-225g sea bass fillets

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)

a small pinch of five spice powder

3 tablespoons olive or sesame oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch of spring onions, finely shredded

1 red chilli, very finely chopped

plain flour for dusting

a knob of unsalted butter

450g large, floury potatoes, preferably Maris Piper, peeled and quartered

50g unsalted butter

75ml single cream or milk

salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, approx 20-25 minutes, depending on size.

Drain off all water and replace the lid. Shake the pan vigorously, which will start to break up the boiled potatoes.

Add the butter and single cream or milk, a little at a time, while mashing the potatoes.

Season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg according to taste.

The potatoes will now be light, fluffy, creamy and ready to eat. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the dressing, boil the soy sauce, mirin and five spice powder together, then remove from the heat. Mix with the olive or sesame oil and season with a twist of pepper, if necessary. Mix all of the spring onions with the chopped chilli.

To fry the sea bass, lightly flour on the skin side and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil. Cook the bass on the floured side for a few minutes, then turn it over and adding a knob of butter and remove from the heat. The fish could take a little longer to cook, depending on the thickness of fillets.

Once the fish has been turned over, heat the dressing and add the spring onions and chilli mix. This must be warmed on a high heat and once the dressing is reaching boiling point, remove from the heat.

To present the dish, sit the seabass on top of a generous spoonful of soft mashed potato and spoon the spring onion and chilli around.

Absolutely delicious!