Grilled fish with rainbow salad

Unfortunately this is my last ‘Too Many Cooks’ column for the foreseeable future. Rather than a flamboyant or unusual recipe, however, I thought I’d honour the occasion with an example of my favourite kind of dinner for one: simply grilled fish with a fresh and fruity salad.

When it comes to fish suppers, I find it hard not to go down the fennel and orange route so often end up creating some variation on this theme. Here, I’ve added crisp ribbons of baby courgette, lots of fragrant herbs, sweet zingy pomegranate seeds and crunchy toasted walnuts.

I managed to pick up a sizeable sea bream fillet this week, but you could really use any other white or oily fish according to preference and availability. If you like, a dressing made from finely chopped shallot, chilli and fresh herbs plus olive oil, lemon juice and a splash of vinegar helps to lift all the flavours to new zingy heights. Delish.

Grilled fish with rainbow salad

Ingredients (serves 1):

Fillet of sea bream, approx 180-200g (or other chosen fish)
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 large orange
½ medium fennel bulb, core removed
3 baby courgettes
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Large handful of fresh coriander and mint, roughly torn
Small handful of walnuts, lightly toasted
Extra virgin olive oil, ½ lemon and sea salt and black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the grill to its highest setting.

Ensure your fish is clean and dry, then slash the skin-side 4 or 5 times to prevent curling under the heat.

Season underneath and place the fish, skin-side up, on a piece of oiled foil. Scatter over the fennel and cumin seeds plus a generous pinch of sea salt and pepper. Drizzle over olive oil and set aside.

Cut off the top and bottom of the orange, stand upright on a board, and slice off all the skin. Hold the orange over a bowl and cut between the pithy lines to release the segments.

Slice the fennel as thinly as you can and use a speed-peeler to peel the courgettes into ribbons. Toss both into a bowl together with the orange segments, pomegranates, herbs and walnuts.

Season and dress the salad with good olive oil, lemon juice and, if you like, a splash of apple cider or white wine vinegar. Taste and adjust accordingly, adding some of the juice from the orange if you fancy more sweetness. Pile up on your plate ready to serve.

Place the fish under the pre-heated grill, on a medium-high shelf, and carefully watch out for 3-5 minutes while it cooks. Once the skin begins to brown and blister, the fish is probably cooked but take it out to check. The centre, or thickest part, should be just about opaque.

Squeeze lemon over the fish plus any reserved orange juice, then place on top of the salad and drizzle over any juices left in the foil.

Enjoy!