Sea Bass from a Roasting Bag with Black Bean Salsa

Juicy sea bass combined with a black bean and mango salsa from ‘Recipes from the Caribbean’ by Shivi Ramoutar.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Carefully mix all the ingredients for the black bean salsa and season with sea salt and black pepper. Do not mix for too long, or you will end up with a muddy mush instead of a colourful salsa. Set aside so the flavours can develop while you cook the potatoes and sea bass.

Baking Tray

Melt three tablespoons of coconut oil in a small pan. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and pour the melted oil over them. Place a large sheet of aluminium foil (approximately 60 x 60 cm) on a baking tray and place an equally large sheet of baking paper on top. Spread the potato slices over it and fold the edges of the baking paper and aluminium foil upwards, creating a loose dish around the potatoes. Pour over the coconut oil left in the bowl and sprinkle with sea salt.

Potatoes, Garlic and Lime

Leave the ‘dish’ of baking paper and aluminium foil open and place the baking tray in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes halfway through. Score the fish deeply in a criss-cross pattern, sprinkle both sides with sea salt and black pepper, and fill the cuts with the garlic cloves and half of the lime slices. Brush the sea bass with the melted coconut oil from the ‘dish’ containing the potatoes and place the fish next to each other on top of the potatoes.

Fish

Place the remaining lime slices on the fish, loosely fold the baking paper and aluminium foil over the fish and press the edges firmly together so you have a well-sealed but loose bag. Place the baking tray in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the fish is just cooked (when you cut into the thickest part of the fish, the flesh should no longer be translucent). Remove from the oven and leave to rest in the bag for a few minutes.

Serving

Carefully remove the aluminium foil and lift the baking paper into a shallow serving dish. Open out the baking paper so everyone can reach it easily, remove the lime slices from the fish and spoon the salsa over and around the fish. Serve immediately.

Recipes from the Caribbean
€ 24,95
Good Cook
Image: Kris Kirkham