Fennel-scented Seabass

Now this is a very easy dish. All you need to do is bake some seabass with the addition of a handful of ingredients to get yourself a tasty and colourful meal. The recipe is a free adaptation of one found in one of the many cooking magazines I buy, so please feel free to experiment with the ingredients you like the most and add them on to the fish.

Ingredients

2 seabasses, whole, descaled and gutted (you can ask your fishmonger to do this)
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced – leaves put aside
50g black olives, pitted
2 red chillies, finely sliced
1 bunch of basil, finely sliced
1 whole lemon, sliced (I used limes here)

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 160C. Line a baking tray and put the fish on top of it, with their heads facing opposite directions. Season both sides of each fish with plenty of salt and pepper.
Fill the cavities of the fish with the fennel leaves, some basil and one or two lemon slices.
Arrange the rest of the ingredients around, under and above the fish, then drizzle with some olive oil.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the fish is cooked but not dry.
Remove from the oven, fillet and serve.