Festive sea bass on fennel and orange

Festive whole sea bass from the oven on fennel, oranges and olives, stuffed with lemon and herbs. A Mediterranean dinner for your Christmas menu with 26 g protein.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 20 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 45 min
• Calories: 294 kcal per serving
• Protein: 26 g
• Fat: 15 g
• Carbs: 11 g

Ingredients

• 500g fennel
• 2 oranges
• 40g olives
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 whole sea bass
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch of pepper

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking dish · chopping board · knife

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Cut the fennel into thin wedges, keep the fronds and lay the wedges in a large baking dish.
2. Peel one orange and slice it, and squeeze the juice from the second. Toss the fennel, orange slices and olives with half the olive oil and a little salt.
3. Rinse the sea bass inside and out, pat dry and score the skin three times on each side. Season the inside with salt and pepper and stuff with lemon slices, thyme and rosemary.
4. Lay the fish on the fennel, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and the orange juice and bake everything at 200 °C for 25 minutes.
5. Check at the thickest part whether the flesh comes away easily from the bone; if it does, the fish is cooked.
6. Fillet the fish at the table and serve with the fennel, the chopped fennel fronds and the juices from the dish.

Good to know

A whole fish on the table looks festive and is less work than a roast. The sea bass cooks on a bed of fennel and oranges, while the herbs inside give off their aroma. After 25 minutes, everything's ready.

Swaps

Sea bass → sea bream (same cooking time). Oranges → blood oranges. Olives → capers. Thyme → dill.

Cooking tips

Ask the fishmonger to scale and gut the fish. If they weigh more than 600 g each, add 5 to 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Storage

Filleted fish keeps for 1 day in the fridge; eat it cold with the fennel as a salad.

Allergens

Contains fish; gluten-free, no milk, egg or nuts. Suitable for children if you remove the bones first. Fine in pregnancy as long as the fish is cooked through.

Frequently asked questions

How long does sea bass keep in the fridge?

Filleted fish keeps for 1 day in the fridge; eat it cold with the fennel as a salad.

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