Summer supper

Owing to the amount of corporate writing that I’ve been doing (see posts below), I haven’t had the chance to blog recently so I decided that today is the day to change that. Sunny weather makes me think of barbecues and picnics, which inspired this meal of whole sea bass, buttered spinach and potata bravas

The trick with potata bravas is to cook the sauce ahead of time and then allow it to cool, which will thicken it and intensify the flavours. Chop and fry a large onion, two garlic cloves and a red chilli in a frying pan. Add a can of chopped tomatoes and (if you like it spicy) Tobasco then season to taste. Once cooked through, turn off the heat and set aside.

Take a bag of new potatoes and cut each one in half. Place in a casserole dish, cover with a little oil and roast in the oven.

On this occasion, I’m using two whole sea bass which I’ve gutted (if you’ve never done this before, just Google for instructions – it’s a little messy but fairly straightforward). If you want to eat the skin, you will also need to de-scale it, but as I plan to flake the fish, I’m leaving it as it is. Place each fish on a sheet of foil, sprinkle over lemon juice and wrap it up.

Empty fresh spinach into a smaller casserole dish and add a knob of butter. Stack the wrapped fish and spinach in the oven. Remove the potatoes, cover with the chilled bravas sauce and return to the shelf. Cook everything for a further twenty minutes and serve immediately for a great tapas-style supper.