Sea bass is among Britan’s most popular fish for its soft delicate texture with crispy skin. A New Zealand equivalent would be tarakihi or a similar white-fleshed fish. This dish has superb balance, with lots of fresh herbs, lentils and delicious wilted spinach. It is a great weeknight dinner and I’d bet it’s likely to become a regular in your repertoire.
White Fish, Lentils, Spinach and Salsa Verde
Serves 4
For the lentils
• 135ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, green part removed, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced, chopped or grated
• 250g Puy lentils, rinsed
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 280g spinach, larger leaves if possible
• fine sea salt
For the fish
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 x 180g skin-on fillets of white-fleshed fish
• ½ quantity Salsa Verde
• 1 lemon, quartered
Method
Put 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek and a generous pinch of salt, then cook gently for 10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add 2 of the chopped or grated garlic cloves and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the lentils to the pan, then pour in enough water to just cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary. Remove from the heat and leave to sit for 5 minutes, then drain off and discard the excess liquid. Season with 4 tablespoons more olive oil, the vinegar, and salt to taste.
Now for the fish. Put the vegetable oil in a large frying pan (or 2 if your pans are smaller) and set over a medium heat. Make sure the skin of the fish fillets is completely dry, then sprinkle with fine sea salt. Add the fillets skin-side down to the pan, applying a little pressure with your fingertips to stop the skin from curling. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then turn off the heat and flip the fish over to cook in the residual heat of the pan for a final minute. Set aside to rest.
In the meantime, gently reheat the lentils. Cook the spinach: set a frying pan over a medium heat and add the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the remaining garlic clove and cook gently for about 30 seconds until softened. Add the spinach to the pan with a pinch of salt and increase the heat: you want to cook it quickly to retain its freshness. Cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted, then check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
Spoon the lentils and spinach on to warmed plates and top each with a fish fillet, skin-side up. Finish with some salsa verde and a lemon wedge for squeezing.
Salsa Verde
• 60g parsley leaves
• 30g mint leaves
• 30g basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove finely grated
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• finely grated zest and juice of a lemon
• 120ml extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt flakes
Method
Put the herbs in a food processor with the garlic and capers and pulse-beat until roughly chopped. Add the mustard, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt, then blend again until combined but still slightly coarse in texture.
Caponata
Aubergine is the star of the show in this classic Sicilian dish, which celebrates the abundance of summer. If you add some excellent mozzarella, you can elevate this to become a main course.
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Ingredients
• 60g pine nuts
• 2 tbsp sultanas
• 1 litre vegetable oil
• 2 aubergines, cut into 3cm chunks
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 3 celery sticks, sliced into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 excellent, ripe beefsteak-type tomatoes, roughly chopped (or a 400g can of very good-quality plum tomatoes, chopped)
• leaves from a small bunch (15g) of mint, roughly chopped
• leaves from a small bunch (15g) of parsley, roughly chopped
• sea salt flakes
Method
Start by toasting the pine nuts: you can do this gently in a dry frying pan, or in an oven preheated to 160°C/140°C fan for 8 minutes. Soak the sultanas in boiling water in a small bowl.
Put the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat until it reaches 180°C. Fry the aubergine chunks for a couple of minutes until golden brown and soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to blot off any excess oil. At this point, drain and roughly chop the sultanas.
Set a large frying pan over a medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Add the sliced red onions to the pan with a generous pinch of salt and fry for 2 minutes, then add the celery and garlic and cook for a further 4 minutes until softened but not taking on any colour. At this point, add the sugar and vinegar and cook off quickly to reduce the vinegar to a glaze. Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to cook until most of the liquid has reduced.
Transfer the fried aubergines to the pan, along with the chopped sultanas and toasted pine nuts. Stir gently to combine, being careful not to break up the aubergine chunks.
Cool to room temperature, check the seasoning, then add the mint and parsley to serve.
Cavolo Nero Rigatoni
Rich and velvety, this deep green sauce shines as it coats the rigatoni. The key to the dish is really good-quality olive oil.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 500g cavolo nero (Tuscan kale/black cabbage), coarse stalks removed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed with the side of a blade
• 150ml of your best extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• 400g dried rigatoni
• 50g Parmesan cheese
• sea salt flakes and freshly cracked
• black pepper
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch the cavolo nero and garlic in the water for 3 minutes, then transfer to a blender with a little of their cooking water. Blend to make a smooth purée, then add the olive oil and blend again. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving the cooking water.
In a wide pan, toss the cooked pasta with the sauce, loosening with a little of the pasta cooking water, if needed. Check for salt, then spoon on to warmed plates, finishing with cracked black pepper, a grating of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
An edited extract from Food You Want to Eat, by Thomas Straker (Bloomsbury, $54.80).
