Donal Skehan’s harissa-baked fish

Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 0 mins
Ingredients
  • Serves 4
  • 4 small seabass fillets, skin scored
  • 6 tbsp harissa paste
  • 400g baby potatoes, sliced in half
  • 150g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced in half
  • A small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
  • From the storecupboard:
  • Olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon or 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper

Harissa is a North African spice paste that provides a dark, sweet heat to meat or a depth of flavour to the classic dish shakshuka – eggs poached in a tomato sauce. A jar of harissa is a welcome addition to any store cupboard and for quick recipes like this, it distills the best of your spice press into one powerful dollop to be spread over seabass fillets. Salmon or mackerel fillets would also work here.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place the potatoes in a large roasting tin with the tomatoes and spring onions. Drizzle all over with olive oil, dot with 1-2 tablespoons of harissa paste (depending on how hot you want it) and season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Toss until everything in the tray is coated.

Place in the oven to bake for 35 minutes.

Prepare the mint salsa by mixing the mint with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice or 1tsp white wine vinegar. Season to taste and set aside.

Place the fish fillets on a plate. Score the skin and spread all over with harissa paste until completely coated.

Remove the roasting tin from the oven and place the fish fillets on top, skin side up.

Return the tray to the oven and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked all the way through.

Serve in the tin, with a drizzle of mint salsa on each fillet.