Whole fish stuffed with fennel and onion makes a delicious, nutritious family meal.
Cook fish on the bone to keep that lovely moist texture. It's easy to serve it family-style and allow everyone to dig in, perhaps with a nice chicory salad on the side.
(Serves 4)
400g new potatoes, halved
Pinch of salt
2 medium bream, 400g each
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 small head of fennel, finely sliced
Olive oil
1 lemon, rind grated and juice reserved
200ml water
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark six.
Cover the potatoes with cold salted water in a pan and parboil for 10 minutes.
Place the bream in a large ovenproof dish.
Combine the onion and fennel, hold the fish open with one hand and stuff with the mixture.
Season the bream, add a dash of olive oil, the lemon juice and water, cover with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the potatoes and saute over a medium/high heat until golden brown.
Mix the parsley, lemon rind and garlic, season and add enough oil to bind.
Check the fish is cooked by piercing with a knife - it should go in without resistance - and remove from the oven.
To finish, cover the bream with the parsley mix and serve with the sauteed potatoes.
• Angela Hartnett is chef patron at Murano restaurant and consults at the Whitechapel Gallery and Dining Room, London. Twitter.com/angelahartnett
Angela Hartnett's stuffed bream and sauteed potatoes. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian