Herb-crusted fish with parmesan butter and lemon rice

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Finely chop the parsley and finely grate the parmesan. In a bowl, combine the parsley with the parmesan and butter.
2. Put the butter mixture in the middle of a 20cm square of cling film, then fold over two opposite edges to cover. Roll the butter into a log shape, then twist the ends of the cling film to seal. Chill for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put the fish fillets on a baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper. Finely chop the basil. Slice off a knob of the chilled butter and heat gently in a saucepan (return the rest to the fridge). Finely zest the lemons and add the zest to the pan with 1 tbsp squeezed lemon juice (keep the lemons), the breadcrumbs and chopped basil. Mix well, then spread the mixture evenly over the fish fillets.
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4. Remove the herb butter from the fridge and slice into 8 equal rounds. Put 2 rounds on top of each breadcrumbed fish fillet, then bake in the middle of the oven for 10-15 minutes until the fish is opaque and cooked through, the herby crust is crisp and the butter has melted.
5. While the fish is in the oven, put the rice in a medium pan and cover with 600ml cold water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and gently simmer over a low heat for 12 minutes or until the rice is tender.
6. Squeeze the juice from the reserved lemons over the rice, then stir it through along with the extra herbs. Divide among plates. Serve topped with the fish, with lemon wedges to squeeze over.