Sea bass with pea, mint and asparagus mash
Packed with two of our five-a-day, Jamie Oliver's super-simple supper also includes hero sea bass, meaning our meal is super-high in vitamin B12, which we need for making healthy red blood cells.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
300g potatoes1 bunch of asparagus (300g)100g freshly podded peas1 bunch of fresh mint (30g)1 fresh red chilli2 handfuls of baby spinach40g strong Cheddar cheese2 x 120g sea bass fillets, skin on, scaled, scored and pin-bonedExtra virgin olive oil2 lemons
**Method**
Wash the potatoes, chop into 3cm chunks and put into a medium pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes
Meanwhile, to make the salad garnish, trim the woody ends off the asparagus. Holding the stalk ends steady, speed-peel just 4 asparagus spears into lovely ribbons, then pop into a bowl with a small handful of the peas. Pick in just the pretty baby mint leaves, finely slice and add the chilli (dressed if you like), then put aside.
Add the remaining asparagus spears and peas to the potato pan to cook for 3 minutes, then drain it all in a colander, steam dry for 1 minute and put into a food processor. Pick in the rest of the mint leaves and add the spinach, grate in the Cheddar, then pulse to the consistency you like (pulse because blitzing would make it gluey). Have a taste and season to perfection.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the skin of the fish with sea salt and rub all over with 1 teaspoon of oil. Place the fillets skin side down in a cold non-stick frying pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Finely grate over the lemon zest, cover with a scrunched sheet of wet greaseproof paper and cook for around 5 minutes. This is a brilliant method, giving crispy skin and flaky fish, without you having to turn it.
Divide up the mash next to the crispy sea bass, skin side up. Toss the raw peas and asparagus ribbons with the juice from 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of oil, and then pile delicately on top. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
Cook along with Jamie: Spelt spaghetti with vine tomatoes and baked ricotta
BOOK: Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver is available now (Michael Joseph)