To paraphrase Mrs Beeton “ First catch your fish…..”
Ingredients:
Olive oil
20g butter, melted
180g red snapper fillet / sea bream or whatever you caught that day
1 cup baby spinach
1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
Extra pitted kalamata olive & extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Olive tapenade:
1 anchovy fillet
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
1 garlic clove, crush
Olive oil
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. For the olive tapenade, combine the anchovy, olives and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped. With the motor running drizzle in enough olive oil until a thick paste forms, season with salt and pepper.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the fish, cook for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to baking tray.
4. Spread tapenade on top of the fish. Bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the spinach and stir until spinach begins to wilt. Add lemon rind, juice and season with salt and pepper.
6. Arrange the spinach on a plate, top with the fish. Sprinkle over the olives and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crunchy bread on the side.
The good thing about this dish is that it can be broken down into its elements regardless of the season as a spinach leaf salad is just as appealing alongside simple fresh pan fried fish. Our kids for example prefer the fish served unadorned, which is easy to accommodate here without cooking two different meals.