Preparation Time
20 minutes
Serves
4
Nutrition
N/A
Puree
Blend some of the fish and courgettes together until smooth.
Finger Food
Chop some of the fish into bite-sized pieces and serve with slices of courgette.
Ingredients
For the fish:
2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
plus extra for drizzling
8 sea bass fillets, washed, boned and dried
salt
8 sprigs of fennel, torn
For the courgettes:
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
2 courgettes, thinly sliced
400g spinach leaves
4 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
Sea bass has a delicate flavour and nice texture so is a good fish to serve to your baby
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan. Place the fish, skin side down, into the oil. Fry for a few minutes until the skin is coloured. If you are using a griddle pan, the fish will be ready when it releases easily from the pan.
Transfer to a baking tray and season with a little salt, the fennel and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 8–12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the flesh is firm to the touch and translucent.
While the fish is cooking, put a little oil in a frying pan that's big enough for all your vegetables. Place over a high heat and when the oil is hot, add the vegetables one at a time, starting with the courgettes and frying for a couple of minutes, before adding the spinach, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Fry for an extra 30 seconds and then serve alongside the sea bass.
This recipe is from Kitchen Garden Cookbook: A Year of Italian Scots Recipes by Carina Contini (Frances Lincoln, £25).