It was the day of the funeral of a treasured brother-in-law – a funeral we couldn’t attend due to lockdown restraints. So the right thing to do seemed to be to celebrate his life. To have the very best meal we could make, bring out the best wine, and reminisce.
This was what we had for the main course. It did its job so well that we repeat it whenever something special is called for. The secret of its sublimity is the orange mayonnaise sauce.
If there is any leftover (some hope) mix the sauce and the fish together to make a pasta sauce. If it’s too stiff for a sauce, add some cream to loosen.
Celebratory Sea Bass Baked on a Bed of Soft-braised Potato and Fennel with sublime orange sauce
Serves – 4
Ingredients
- 4 x sea bass fillets, approx. 220g/8 oz each, skin on
- 3 large roasting potatoes
- 2 bulbs of fennel
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- Good slosh of olive oil, for oiling, frying etc
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 oranges, juice of both and peel of one and zest of the other
- 1 bunch of dill
- 240 ml/1 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed with ½ tsp smoked salt
- Pinch Urfa pepper flakes, or some freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 210°C.
- Dry fry the fennel seeds. Crush in a mortar and pestle.
- Peel and slice the potatoes into quite thick (1 cm/½”) slices.
- Cut off the fronds of the fennel and keep for garnish. Take off any tough outer layer, slice quite finely.
- Oil the bottom of a large roasting tin. Add the vegetables, the bay leaves, the orange peel, and some salt and pepper. Add the chopped dill and the fennel seeds.
- Pour over a good slosh of olive oil, and mix well. Roast for ten minutes. Take out and muddle – stir to turn the vegetables over. Add a bit more olive oil if necessary. Return to the oven for another ten minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through.
- Meanwhile mix the mayonnaise with two tablespoons of orange juice, the orange zest, the crushed, salted garlic, and some pepper or Urfa pepper flakes.
- Pour the remaining orange juice over the vegetables, stir to mix in. Put the fillets, skin side up, on top. Continue to roast for another ten minutes, and the fish skin is crisp.
- Serve, with the fish skin still on for those who like it, and off, for those who don’t.
