Sicilian Sea Bass with Fennel, Olive & Orange
Fennel gets a four-minute head start, then the fish goes on top and the whole thing finishes together under a slick of orange and olive.
Why it works
Fennel sliced thin enough to be translucent will soften in the same window as a fish fillet, but it still needs a head start to lose its raw crunch — four minutes alone does it. Sitting the bass skin-up on the fennel means the fillets steam gently from below while the skin dries and crisps above. The potatoes go into boiling water before the air fryer is even hot, so they are drained and ready to be crushed into the orange and olive juices at exactly the moment the fish is done.
Method
- Boil the kettle. Tip the potatoes into a pan with the 1 tsp salt, cover with boiling water and cook at a steady boil for 12 minutes, until a knife slides into one without resistance.
- Heat the air fryer to 190°C (375°F). Toss the fennel in the basket with 2 tbsp of the oil, the garlic, oregano, chilli, half the orange zest and the ½ tsp salt. Air fry for 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pat the bass dry — skin will not crisp through moisture — and rub it with 1 tbsp of the oil and a pinch of salt.
- Shake the fennel, scatter over the olives and tomatoes, then lay the fillets on top, skin up, without overlapping.
- Air fry for 6 minutes more. The fish is done when the flesh turns from glassy to white and the thickest part flakes cleanly under a fork; the skin should be tight and blistered.
- Drain the potatoes, return them to the hot pan and crush each one flat under a fork with the last 2 tbsp of oil. Spread them over a warm platter.
- Lift the fennel, olives, tomatoes and fish onto the potatoes. Squeeze the orange juice over the fennel, not the skin, and finish with the rest of the zest, parsley and fronds.
For the toddler
Lift a few slices of fennel out at step 2, before the chilli and salt go into the basket, and toss theirs with plain oil. Set a fillet aside unsalted at step 3 and cook it alongside. The olives are salty as well as round, so keep them off their plate, and do the same with capers if you use them. Flake the fish carefully for bones, quarter the tomatoes lengthways, and crush a potato.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Bream, red mullet or thin cod fillets all take the same 6 minutes. Capers instead of olives, a tablespoon, rinsed.
Slice the fennel on the coarse side of a box grater or a mandoline in under a minute. Halved baby potatoes from a tin need only warming through.
Bread for mopping the orange and olive juices, and a bitter leaf salad — chicory or radicchio, lemon, oil, nothing else.
The fennel, potatoes and olives are better the next day, cold, as a salad. Eat the fish the same evening.