LAWRENCE MURPHY: Baked sea bass with fennel and clementines

All a bit drastic when some small daily and weekly changes will have a better long-term effect and you are more likely to keep to them.

A little less fat, sugar and alcohol, along with a good country walk at the weekend, does the trick for me.

Then a few bike rides before spring and I’ll be ready for some adventures in the summer.

I try not to completely stop eating all the lovely things we like and find a piece of carrot cake a great reward after a long bike ride.

Grilled fish and some vegetables twice a week lowers the fat intake as well as being tasty and filling.

If you like carbohydrate to bulk up the meal try using cous cous or quinoa instead of potatoes and before you know it the waistline will be back to normal.

I’ve used sea bass in this recipe, but you could easily replace it with mackerel or bream.

Baked sea bass with
fennel and clementines

Ingredients (serves four)

Four 200g portions sea bass fillets

2 bulbs fennel sliced

1 onion sliced

1 leek split lengthways and sliced

1 teaspoon fennel seed

2 cloves garlic sliced

2 clementines or small oranges

30ml olive oil

Method

1. Place the fennel, onion and leek in a bowl and pour over the olive oil.

2. Mix together adding the garlic and fennel seed.

3. Zest the clementines into the bowl and add the juice.

4. Place on a foiled baking tray.

5. Bake in preheated oven 200C/Gas 6 for three minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and turn over the vegetables.

7. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and replace in the oven for another nine minutes.

8. Check the fish is cooked and serve on four plates.

Lawrence Murphy’s restaurant is Fat Olives at Emsworth (fatolives.co.uk) on 01243 377914.