The summer heat and enticing smells from your neighbour’s garden might be inspiring you to get barbequing if you haven’t already started. Relatively low effort, great flavour and pure summer vibes make this the undisputed best way to cook when hosting friends and family. Our BBQ recipe comes from Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens, who gained two stars while running Pied à Terre from 1996 until 1999.

Since 2020 he has been head chef at Muse and has appeared on Great British Menu as one of its contestants and then one of its veteran chef judges. This whole sea bass recipe is light, zesty and packed with flavour, perfect for hot summer evenings and sure to impress a crowd.

Baked sea bass with lemon and fennel

Prep Time: 10 minutes

cook time: 25 minutes

serves: 4-6 people

Method

  • Remove the zest from one of the lemons, slice all three lemons into circles, around 1-2cm thick and slice the fennel bulb lengthways into strips.
  • Once the target temperature of the barbeque has been reached, lay the fennel, herbs and most of the lemon circles to act as a bed for the fish.
  • Drizzle olive oil and sea salt all over and inside the cavity of the sea bass. Place the fish onto its bed of aromatics, then top with the remaining lemon rounds. Drizzle with more olive oil and a little more salt.
  • Close the barbeque and cook for around 20 minutes until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 60°C. Remove and leave to rest for at least five minutes.
  • De-bone and skin the fish and place them onto a platter along with any jammy pieces of roasted fennel and herbs that haven’t been scorched.
  • Drizzle with olive oil, fresh lemon zest and sea salt before serving.

Ingredients

  • 2kg sea bass, kept whole
  • 3 lemons
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • A bunch of dill
  • A bunch of rosemary
  • A bunch of thyme
  • Sea salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil

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