Lemon Thyme Sea Bass Parcels
Lemon Thyme has a much more delicate flavour than the Common Garden variety. It must be treated gently or it will disappear altogether in your dish.
In the right setting, though, it will deliver a wonderfully light aromatic fragrance of the Mediterranean into your cooking. Autumn is a great time to make the most of sustainably caught British fish. By baking Lemon Thyme in parcels with Sea Bass, wine and butter, you capture all of its deliciously subtle herbaceous scent which brings out the natural sweetness of the fish.
Ready in around 30 minutes, this recipe is easy enough for a week night supper and special enough for guests. Have some crusty bread to hand to soak up the Lemon Thyme, butter and wine sauce this cooking method creates.
Method
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 18-20 mins
Pre-heat the oven to 200c/180c Fan/Gas Mark 6
Prepare four sheets of baking parchment approximately 35 cm x 35cm. Have a large baking tray ready to place them on.
Divide the shallot between the parchment sheets, lying it flat in the middle of each sheet in a shape about the size of the fish fillet. Place the cherry tomatoes and courgettes on top of the onions. Season with salt and black pepper
Place two sea bass fillets on top of each of the vegetable piles and dot with a quarter of the butter. Scatter over the lemon thyme leaves and season again.
To make the parcels. Twist the edges of the two sides together, pinching firmly as you go. Work from the sides until you just have a small gap in the middle. Pour a quarter of the wine into each parcel. Close the gap in the top and carefully place on the baking tray.
Bake in the oven for 18 – 20 minutes.
Serve the unopened parcels on plates for everyone to tear into, perhaps with some new potatoes or crusty bread on the side to soak up the juices.
Ingredients
4 Echalion shallots, finely sliced
1 courgette sliced
20 cherry tomatoes halved
8 skinless Sea Bass fillets weighing (approximately 70g each so 140g per portion)
40g butter
Leaves of 10 - 12 lemon thyme sprigs
80ml Pinot Grigio
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
