Refresh
    Mediterranean Flat Fish.

    This is a show stopper dish for the Summer to bring out to a couple of Guests, Friends. It can very well be the Main dish of an al fresco Dinner or the Fish course of a Menu. It also can be served in a very rustic way ( Keeping the Flat Fish without trimming the edges or skinning it) or it could be trimmed, and skinned and deboned, however less flashy on a serving plate, but more refined. The important factor is the enjoyment of the Fish and of its accompaniement. There are three ways to cook the Flat Fish (a Flounder or a Plaice) for this recipe: Grilled, pan fried, or baked. If the main show is the Fish, the Vegetables are also an important factor to the dish because they do make the dish come together. It is slightly akin to a ratatouille but dryer. It does give you a Med style to the meal which is so very welcoming in Summer.

    Putting it all Together
    Mediterranean Flat Fish.
    Timing
    • Preptime: 30 minutes
    • Cooktime: 25 to 35 minutes
    • Servings: 2-4 portions
    Ingredients

    One or Two large Flat Fish: A plaice or a Flounder.

    Salted Butter and Olive Oil.

    Red Pepper and Yellow Sweet Peppers, two to three, chopped and deseeded.

    One or two Courgette/Zucchini. Diced.

    A handful of Sundried Tomatoes chopped.

    One clove of Garlic for one Fish or two for two Fish, peeled and chopped in tiny pieces.

    One peeled and chopped Shallot or one White Onion.

    A handful of pitted Green Olives.

    Two Lemons.

    Rosemary and Thyme chopped, or without their stalk.

    750g to 1kg of Baby New Potatoes.

    Optional: One red Chilli, deseeded and chopped (Espelette preferably).

    Seasoning: Sea Salt, cracked Black or Pink Peppercorn, a Pinch of Saffron.

    Steps

    First you have to deal with the preparation of your Vegetables. Preheat the the oven to gas mark 4 to give them a nice rendition.

    Tackle your Shallots or Onion, peeling and chopping them very finely. Put them on a shallow baking tray which was prepared with a little Olive Oil.

    Then chopped and peel your Garlic. Add it to the tray.

    Part-Boil your Potatoes for 5 to 10 minutes. No need to peel them. Then drain and let them cool down.

    Meanwhile prep your Sweet Bell Peppers. Take the seeds out and chopped the Sweet Bell Peppers into small thin strips of 2 to 3 cm long. (Keep the seeds if you have a garden or know a neighbour who has one).

    Diced your Courgettes. (you don't have to peel them but washing them is preferable). Add them to the tray along with the Sweet Pepper.

    For the Olives, of course they have to be pitted ones. However for their variety it is all up to your own taste. Green Olives are easy to find and work very well within this recipe. But I did have good results trying Morrocan Dried Black Olives but also Kalamata Olives. So I will say the world is your oyster on that one. Add them to the tray.

    Chopped some Sundried Tomatoes. You can use that Oil they have been preserved in for your tray, but also for cooking your Fish later.

    Optional add a deseeded and finely chopped red Chilli. I used Espellette Chilli. You can also add a little Cappers for saltiness.

    Before putting in the oven just add some leaves of Rosemary and Seasoning. Then give 30 to 35 minutes for the Veg to bake.

    Put your Cooled potatoes on skewers and grill them.

    Meanwhile prepare your Fish which will not take long to pan fry. Wash it and trim it. Skin it and debone it if it is your choice.

    Give or take it will take 2 to 3 minutes to cook the Fish on one side and the same for the other. It is a rule of thumb to decide the timing basing it on the size and thickness of the Fish. Because you do not want it overcooked nor undercooked.

    Keep an eye of your grilled Potatoes, make sure they are turned on occasion to get an all rounded appearance to them.

    When your Fish is fully rendered and has been pan fried and lathered with Butter and Thyme, then it is time to serve.

    For the Veg coming out of the oven, they do go on the flat Fish as mush as a statement of the importance of them to make the dish to bring it together. The skwered Potatoes come as a nice side.

     

     

     

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