Baked chutney-stuffed sea bass
Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients :
- For the chutney
- 1 bunch coriander, washed, leaves only
- 5 tsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, left whole
- 2cm/¾in piece ginger, peeled
- 2 green chillies, seeds removed
- 100g/3½oz freshly grated coconut
- 20 pistachio nuts, shells removed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- vegetable oil, for frying, plus 1 tbsp
- ½ tsp brown mustard seeds
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the sea bass
- 2 x 550g/1¼lb sea bass, butterflied (ask your fishmonger to do this for you), skin scored at 0.5cm/1in intervals
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- To serve
- new potatoes, boiled
- green salad
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Method :
1. For the chutney, blend all of the chutney ingredients except for the vegetable oil and the mustard seeds in a food processor to a purée.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. (CAUTION: the mustard seeds will start to pop. Keep the pan clear of your face and eyes.) When the mustard seeds start to pop, remove the pan from the heat and add the seeds to the chutney mixture. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. In a separate bowl, mix two tablespoons of the chutney mixture with one tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Brush the chutney mixture all over the sea bass and set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
4. While the fish is marinating, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
5. When the fish has marinated, spoon the remaining chutney mixture into the cavities of the sea bass. Place the stuffed sea bass onto a baking tray and bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the flesh of each sea bass is opaque.
6. To serve, divide the stuffed sea bass among four serving plates. Spoon a portion of the new potatoes and green salad alongside. Garnish each plate with a wedge of lemon.
Chef’s tip:
Adding pistachios to the chutney helps to bind it and the nuts absorb the juices that leak into it from the fish. You can also use peanuts as a substitute for pistachios.
