Flakey Fish

15/11 FLAKEY FISH

In stressful times the last thing I want to do it bother with lunch or dinner. Organising departure, last day at work and finally the horrors of the world baring unforgiving, sharp teeth. All this in one week, the only thing I want to do is stay in with friends, and send all the love I have to those I can't be with. This baked fish is meant to comfort, involve no time or effort so you can enjoy being with friends.

Normally done with an onion base and cooked for longer, but alas no onions, so i substituted rocket leaves and don't think i'll go back. Make it, eat with friends and know that we're all little fish in a very big pond. Just keep swimming. With all my love.

Ingredients (all approximate) - 

500g White fish fillets (any, I prefer John Dory)

200g(ish) Cherry Tomatoes
1 Lemon (or if lucky preserved Lemons @parkedart)
300g Rocket Leaves
Salt + Pepper

What I did - Oven at 150

Something literally thrown together in a few minutes. Strew the rocket leaves in the bottom of a shallow baking dish creating a leafy floor. Lay the pale Fish on the bed of leaves. Slice the Lemon into discs and squeeze each one over the fish before adorning on top. Slice the tomatoes in half and scatter around the dish. Cover the baking tray with tin foil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes the fish will be chalky white, almost cooked through. Take the alien-protective foil off and sear the whole tray under a hot grill. The top of the vegetables should char slightly and the fish should be cooked through, but still soft and flakey. Don't worry about overcooking, the liquid keeps the fillet moist.

The fish fillets will be swimming in their own pond, the rocket looking like underwater tendrils, keeping everything hydrated. A fish out of water won't survive and the same is true for cooked fish, it needs its own habitat - and this one is delicious.

JG