How to roast sea bass whole

A roasted whole sea bass makes a beautifully light dinner for 2 people over the spring and summer months, when bass is at its peak in Britain. Roasting is a simple technique which flatters sea bass' delicate white flesh.

Ingredients

1 whole sea bass
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 knob of butter

shopping List

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

Before roasting, make sure the fish has been scaled and gutted

Make 3 slashes on each side of the sea bass, rub with olive oil and season well. You could stuff the cavity of the fish with aromatic herbs and vegetables

Add the fish to a large roasting tray and cook for 20-25 minutes, basting regularly in pan juices. For a little extra richness, add a knob of butter 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time and baste the fish after it melts

To check that the fish is cooked insert a knife between the flesh and the bone. it should come away easily

Variations

As well as stuffing the fish, you can lay fresh vegetables into the base of the baking tray before adding the sea bass - these should cook at roughly the same rate as the sea bass. Sliced fennel, peppers and tomatoes all go nicely and make a nice accompaniment for the fish once cooked.