Baked Sea Bass with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 whole sea bass, gutted and scaled (about 500g each)
• 1 lemon, half sliced into rounds, half cut into wedges
• 400g cherry tomatoes
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 100ml dry white wine
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 100g Kalamata olives, pitted
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 400g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• juice of ½ lemon
• crusty bread or sourdough, to serve
• extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle, to serve
• 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn, to serve
• lemon wedges, reserved from above, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Score each sea bass 3 times on each side with a sharp knife, cutting down to the bone.
2. Tuck the lemon rounds and 2 thyme sprigs inside the cavity of each fish, then rub all over with 2 tbsp olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Tip the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, sliced garlic, remaining thyme sprigs, chilli flakes and 2 tbsp olive oil into a large roasting tin. Season well and toss to combine.
4. Pour the white wine over the tomato base, then lay the sea bass on top, skin-side up.
5. Roast for 22–25 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp and the fish pulls away easily from the bone at the thickest part. The tomatoes should have burst and slumped into the winey juices.
6. While the fish roasts, warm the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the grated garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant but not coloured.
7. Add the cannellini beans and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and beginning to absorb the garlicky oil. Squeeze over the lemon juice and season to taste.
8. Spoon the dressed beans onto a large serving platter and lift the roasted sea bass on top. Spoon the burst tomatoes, olives, capers and all the roasting juices over and around the fish.
9. Finish with torn flat-leaf parsley, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges and crusty bread alongside.