Baked sea bass with potatoes, peppers and preserved lemons

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 40 minutes

•  300g waxy potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
•  1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
•  1 preserved lemon, roughly chopped
•  1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
•  3 fresh bay leaves, torn in half
•  2 sea bass fillets (about 150 – 200g each), skin left on
•  2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Preheat the oven to 200C gas mark 6. Put the potatoes, pepper, lemon, garlic and bay leaves in a bowl with half the olive oil and seasoning and toss together to combine. Spread over the base of a roasting pan or baking dish that will fit the fish fillets neatly. Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes until nearly tender and starting to brown at the edges.

2 Remove from the oven and turn the potatoes carefully to bring any unbrowned bits to the surface. Arrange the fish fillets on the top, skin side up. Drizzle with the remaining oil and return to the oven for 10 -12 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Serve on warmed plates with a green salad and a glass of chilled white wine.

Recipe by Mary Gwynn who is a local author, food writer and Chair of Penshurst Farmers Market. She is also the editor of BBC Vegetarian Good Food and M&S Magazine and now writes a seasonal eating column for the Waitrose weekend newspaper. She has published several cookery books, including The WI Cookbook: The First 100 Years and The Busy Mum’s Cookbook.