Baked Sea Bass with Fennel, Porcini mushroom & Lentils

Preparation & Cooking time 30 mins.

Prep 10 mins

Cooking time

20 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 70g/2½oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 2 sea bass fillets, about 175g/6oz each
  • 1 fennel bulb, core removed, sliced and blanched
  • 1 fresh porcini mushroom, trimmed and sliced
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 100ml/3½fl oz dry white vermouth
  • 400g/14oz rainbow chard, trimmed and washed
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 100g/3½oz cooked Umbrian lentils (lentils de castellucio), to serve
  • Lemon Zest

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Fold two sheets of kitchen foil into two large squares and grease the tops of the squares with butter.
  2. Place a fish fillet, skin-side up, in the middle of each square of foil. Top each fillet with the fennel, mushroom and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Fold the sides of the foil up around the fish and pour the vermouth over each fillet. Seal up the foil edges to create a parcel.
  4. Set the foil parcels on a baking tray and bake for 10–12 minutes. Check to see if the fish is cooked by carefully opening the parcel and piercing the fish with a toothpick. If it goes in with no resistance, the fish is ready.
  5. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the rainbow chard and lentils to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, or until wilted and lentils soft. Drain in a colander and squeeze out the excess water. Season the chard with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil.
  6. Strain the juices from the fish parcels into a saucepan and set the fish aside in the foil to keep hot. Bring to the boil, reduce by half and then add the butter.
  7. Top the seabass with the butter sauce and lemon Zest and serve with the chard and cooked lentils alongside.