Ingredients
- 60ml olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
- 2 large handfuls basil leaves
- 2 Sea bass fillets
- juice of half a lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- For the ratatouille
- 1 small red pepper & courgette
- ½ aubergine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 baby plum tomatoes, halved
- pinch of sugar
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and briefly fry 8 basil leaves just for a moment until they crisp up, then lift out of the oil with a slotted
- spoon and drain on kitchen paper, Bring a large pan of water to the boil and get a bowl of iced water ready.
- Blanch the remaining basil leaves for 5 secs. Using a pair of tongs, lift out the leaves and plunge them into iced water so
- that they cool quickly and keep their colour. Once cool, lift the leaves out and squeeze to remove any excess water.
- Add the blanched basil leaves to a food blender and pour in 60ml of olive oil. to a pourable sauce, adding more oil if needed,
- then put in a bowl and set aside.
For the ratatouille
-
Halve the pepper, then deseed and slice into thin strips. Cut the courgette into quarters lengthways and the aubergine into
-
thick rounds, then cut each one into strips, Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the cumin and garlic, and cook for30 seconds.
-
Tip all the veg into the pan, season and sweat for 1 min, add 100ml water and cook on a high heat for 4 mins. Adjust the seasoning,
-
adding the sugar if needed. With a sharp knife, score each fish fillet with small slits through the skin at regular intervals.
-
To cook the fish, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan until hot. Season the fillets and place, skin-side down, in the pan. Cook
until the skin is golden and crisp, and the flesh is changing colour. Turn the fillets over and cook for 1 min, remove from the heat, then sprinkle over the - lemon juice. Divide the ratatouille between the plates and top with the sea bass. Drizzle with basil oil, a little extra virgin olive oil and serve
- with crisp basil leaves