Sea bass escovitch, with sweet potatoes

 Caribbean food week:  Day 5

Also Friday - so the tradition in our house is fish from Paul the fish.

The idea is that you pour hot, sweet, spicy sauce over simply cooked fish ... it certainly was hot - look at all that steam.

It was the first time I have cooked anything quite like this, but the overwhelming opinion was definitely - put it on the do again list.

Sweet potato
Olive oil

White balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Lime
Onion
Carrot
Red pepper
Red chili

Sea bass

Green beans

1.  Peel and chop sweet potato into chunks, roast, in olive oil for about 40 minutes.
2.  Thinly slice onion, julienne carrot and red pepper.  Very thinly slice chili.
3.  In a saucepan mix together half a cup of olive oil, and the same of vinegar.  Squirt in the juice of half a lime.  Chuck in vegetables and all ow to simmer for about 10 minutes until the veg are softish.  A bit of crunch from the carrots and peppers is fine, but you want the onion soft.
4.  Steam the green beans.
5.  Brush olive oil onto the sea bass fillets and fry for a few minutes on each side.
6.  Place fish on a serving plate, and cover with the sauce.
7.  Serve, scoff ....

Sea bass with wilted greens

Sea bass from Paul today.  Delicious delicate sweet flavour.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Red onion
Garlic
Celery
Mixed herbs
Courgette
Green beans
Veg stock
Cavolo nero
Spinach
Sea bass

1.  Par- boil the potatoes, and then roast in olive oil for about 45 minutes.
2.  Sautee chopped onion and celery in olive oil until softened, add crushed garlic and a good pinch of mixed herbs..
3.  Add chopped green beans, soften a bit, then chopped courgette.  Stir around and then add a cup of veg stock.  Simmer for 10 minutes or so, then add roughly shredded cavolo nero.  5 minutes before serving add the spinach and let it wilt down.
4.  Pan fry the fish in olive oil - skin side first in a hot pan - 3 mins on the skin side and 2 minutes on the other side should be enough.
5.  Serve, scoff.

Sea bass, braised celery and fennel and asparagus

Upmarket fish and chips for Good Friday - thank you Paul the fish from Todmorden market for excellent fish - as usual.

This takes about an hour and a half - start to finish.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Leeks
Fennel
Celery
Garlic
White wine
Sea bass
butter
Asparagus

1.  Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces, and put them on to boil.
2.  Chop leeks, fennel and celery, crush garlic - sautee in olive oil for a few minutes, splash in a glass of white wine and simmer briefly.
3.  Transfer veg to an oven proof dish, with a lid and put it in the bottom of a medium hot oven (180 C).  At the same time cover the bottom of quite a bit roasting dish with olive oil, and put it in the oven to heat up.
4.  Drain the potatoes, and add to the hot oil.
5.  Sit about chatting for about an hour, turn the potatoes over once in the middle.
6.  Heat olive oil and butter in a  frying pan, and put some water on to boil, to steam the asparagus.
7.  Prepare asparagus by removing the woody end.
8.  Season the fish and fry the fish fillets, skin down first in the hot oil - put the asparagus in the steamer.
9.  The asparagus should be ready when the fish is fried.  This should be about 5-6 minutes on the skin side - and a minute or two once turned over.
10.  Serve, scoff and receive fulsome praise.