1-1.5kg whole seabass
2 bulbs fennel
2 cloves garlic
600g new potatoes
50g black olives
250g fresh, ripe tomatoes
Olive oil
1 lemon
Bunch of chives
〉〉 Get your fishmonger to gut and scale the seabass for you, but otherwise leave the fish whole.
〉〉 Cut the fennel bulbs in half, place in an ovenproof dish and cover with a shallow layer of water that will steam the fennel when baked.
〉〉 Add the whole cloves of garlic, season well and bake the fennel for one hour in a medium oven, covered with a tightly fi tting lid or foil. 〉〉 Meanwhile, boil the new potatoes for 30 minutes or until tender – allow them to cool slightly before slicing into 1cm thick discs.
〉〉 Lay the potatoes on the base of an ovenproof dish, season well with salt and pepper.
〉〉 De-stone the olives, roughly chop and sprinkle onto the potatoes.
〉〉 Slice the fennel bulbs and layer on top of the potatoes, then slice a layer of tomatoes on top of the fennel.
〉〉 Crush the cloves of garlic that were baked with the fennel using the back of a spoon, and mix with a good spoonful of olive oil – and a squeeze of lemon juice.
〉〉 Place the whole fish on top of the vegetables, and spoon over the garlic and lemon dressing.
〉〉 Bake the fish in a medium hot oven covered in foil for 30 minutes.
〉〉 Remove from the oven and lift the fish onto a separate serving platter. Sprinkle finely chopped chives onto the vegetables, and serve immediately.