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Whole sea bass with purple sprouting broccoli, chilli and garlic

Whole sea bass makes an impressive dinner party main – this simple recipe uses only a few ingredients, allowing the fresh fish to shine.

If you’re a fan of purple sprouting broccoli, then take a look at this simple way to use the spears to dip into an egg.

Whole sea bass makes an impressive dinner party main – this simple recipe uses only a few ingredients, allowing the fresh fish to shine.

If you’re a fan of purple sprouting broccoli, then take a look at this simple way to use the spears to dip into an egg.

Ingredients

1 sustainable whole wild sea bass (around 1.5kg), gutted, scaled and gills removed (ask the fishmonger to do this)
Olive oil for rubbing, frying and drizzling
250g purple sprouting broccoli, thick stems halved lengthways
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ small red chilli, seeds removed, thinly sliced
Juice ½ lemon, plus extra wedges

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Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Score the sea bass skin and flesh several times on each side using a sharp knife, season with sea salt and rub with olive oil. Heat the grill to high, put the fish on an oiled, lipped baking sheet and grill for 5 minutes on each side until the skin is crisp and tinged with gold. Put in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (see tip). To test if it’s done, push a skewer into the thickest part of the fish, normally behind the head, then check the skewer is hot. Put the fish on a serving platter with a few lemon wedges.
Meanwhile, cook the broccoli in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then drain and pat dry. While the broccoli is cooking, heat a little olive oil in a medium frying pan and fry the garlic and chilli over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat and add the broccoli. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, then toss well to combine for about 1 minute. Serve alongside the fish.

Recipe by Sam Willis at Café Murano in Covent Garden

Nutrition: per serving

If you don’t have a large griddle pan, cook the fish under a hot grill for 5 minutes on each side, then finish off in the oven as in the recipe.

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Francine Godfrey says:

18th Dec 2020 at 8:54 pm

We all are fish lovers. I followed the recipe to the letter and the fish was cooked to perfection. I loved the sauce that accompanied the broccoli with its lemony flavour. Perfection. Thank you.

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