Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Salsa Verde & Warm Lentils

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 skin-on sea bass fillets
• 2 x 250g pouches cooked puy lentils
• 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 80 g spinach
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 30 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 15 g mint, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 courgette, finely diced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Start with the salsa verde. Mix the parsley, mint, capers, half the lemon juice, a little of the zest, the Dijon and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. It should taste bright, sharp and herb-packed; adjust the salt until it sings.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and soften the shallot, garlic and finely diced courgette for 4 to 5 minutes, until the shallot is translucent and the courgette has lost its rawness.
3. Tip in the Puy lentils along with the cherry tomatoes and a splash of water. Warm through for 3 to 4 minutes, pressing some of the tomatoes lightly with the back of a spoon so they release their juice and everything turns glossy.
4. Fold the spinach through and let it wilt just enough to soften without collapsing. Season with salt, black pepper and a squeeze more lemon if it needs lifting.
5. Pat the sea bass skin properly dry and season well on both sides. Heat a separate non-stick pan over medium-high heat with a slick of oil and lay the fillets in skin-side down, pressing gently for the first few seconds so they don't curl. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is deeply crisp and the flesh has turned opaque almost all the way up.
6. Turn the fillets for the final minute so they finish gently and stay juicy.
7. Spoon the warm lentils onto plates and set the sea bass on top, crisp skin uppermost. Spoon the salsa verde generously over the fish so it runs down into the lentils.