Whole baked bream with tomato and chard
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Ingredients
- 2 bream , or bass, weighing approx. 600-800g in total. Ask your fishmonger to remove the bones while leaving the head on for presentation (a technique called canoeing)
- 75ml of olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 small onion , diced into 2cm cubes
- 1 small carrot , diced into 2cm cubes
- 2 sticks of celery , diced into 2cm cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 125ml of white wine
- 800g of tinned chopped tomatoes , excess juice drained
- 550g of Swiss chard , or spinach, stalks removed and washed, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon , juiced, to season
- 2 tbsp of chopped parsley
- salt
- pepper
Method
1
Take the fish out of the fridge to allow them to come to room temperature
- 2 bream , or bass, weighing approx. 600-800g in total. Ask your fishmonger to remove the bones while leaving the head on for presentation (a technique called canoeing)
2
Warm the olive oil in a large pan, then add the diced onion, carrot and celery and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes until soft without colour
- 75ml of olive oil
- 1 small onion , diced into 2cm cubes
- 1 small carrot , diced into 2cm cubes
- 2 sticks of celery , diced into 2cm cubes
- salt
3
Add the bay leaves, garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring to avoid colouration
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
4
Turn the heat up, add the white wine and reduce by two-thirds, then add the strained chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes
- 125ml of white wine
- 800g of tinned chopped tomatoes , excess juice drained
5
Add the chard to the sauce and cook for 10 minutes until soft. Taste and check the seasoning
- 550g of Swiss chard , or spinach, stalks removed and washed, roughly chopped
6
Once the sauce is ready, preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Spoon the ragu into an ovenproof dish large enough to hold both fish and spread it evenly over the bottom
7
Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little oil. Lay the fish in the tray and bake in the oven for 16 minutes
8
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 8 minutes. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley before serving
- 1 lemon , juiced, to season
- 2 tbsp of chopped parsley
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Whole baked bream with tomato and chard
