Whole sea bass with fennel, radicchio, leek and anchovy sauce

Method

     watch video 1. For the vinaigrette: combine the olive oil, lemon juice and marjoram in a small bowl, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and whisk until amalgamated.

2. For the anchovy sauce: in a pestle and mortar, pound the anchovy fillets until smooth, add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix thoroughly to form a sauce. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

3. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the leeks and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the radicchio wedges, cook for a further 2 minutes, then drain thoroughly.

4. Pour the vinaigrette over the drained vegetables and toss to coat completely.

5. Sprinkle the stomach cavity of the fish with a little salt. Stuff the cavity with the marjoram, rosemary and reserved fennel tops.

6. Heat a griddle pan and, when hot, add the fish and cook for about 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through, turning it carefully. Remove the fish from the heat once it is cooked on both sides and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

7. Slice the fennel bulbs crossways into 1cm-thick slices, separate into rings and put on a hot griddle pan. Cook until the slices look slightly charred, then remove and add to the radicchio and leeks.

8. To serve, put the fish on a serving plate, surround it with the dressed vegetables and pour over the anchovy sauce.

Cook’s note: Line-caught sea bass is a more sustainable choice than fish caught by either trawl or fixed nets. Choose fish which has been sustainably caught by hand-line methods: identified by a tag in its gill. Ask your fishmonger to scale and clean it for you.

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Ingredients

1 x 1kg whole Sea bass, (see Cook’s note below)
2-3 sprigs marjoram
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
2 heads Fennel, outer leaves removed, feathery tops removed and reserved
4 small Leeks, white part only, quartered lengthways
1 head radicchio, outer leaves removed, sliced into wedges with stalk intact

For the vinaigrette

6 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 lemon, juice only
2 tbsp finely chopped marjoram

For the anchovy sauce

6 tinned anchovy fillets, drained
1/2 lemon, juice only
6 tbsp Olive oil

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