Whole Italian Baked Sea Bass with Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Really straight forward and full of Mediterranean flavour, this whole Italian baked sea bass is set to become your go-to summer favourite! Our firm, sea bass cooks equally great on the barbecue and in the oven. Baked whole and served with this vibrant roasted vegetable couscous, made with sweet jarred red peppers and toasted pine nuts for added creamy richness. It is as impressive as it is easy - ideal for laid-back summer dinners and effortless entertaining.

• Prep: 10 mins
• Cooking: 35mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 x Caught & Delivered Whole Sea Bass [Link this to the product listing in ‘whole fish’]
• Jar of whole roasted red peppers, drained and sliced (should be about 290g)
• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon, zested into large peels, then 3 large slices and the rest reserved for serving
• Large handful of olives (any of your choice like Kalamata)
• 25g toasted pine nuts
• Handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 cup of couscous (we prefer wholewheat)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200°c. Add the red onion, peppers, garlic, lemon slices and a few bit of lemon peel to a large roasting pan, mix together well with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning.
2. Pop in the oven to cook for 10 - 15 minutes.
3. While that’s cooking, take the whole Sea Bass, remove from the packaging and gently rinse the fish under the tap. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Score three times on each side, then drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook the fish on a hot barbecue, either directly on the grill or on foil (which protects the fish and can be easier to turn over). Makes sure the fish is cooked through.
5. Now to finish the veggie couscous - remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and turn it off. Add the pine nuts, and the couscous with 2 cups of water to the roasting pan, with a squeeze of lemon juice and half of the chopped herbs. Make sure the couscous is just submerged, then cover the roasting pan with tin foil, return the roasting pan back to the warm oven for 5 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed.
6. To serve, create a generous platter of the veggie couscous and the whole fish as the centrepiece! Enjoy!