Sea bass with stewed summer vegetables

Roasting the vegetables brings out their gorgeous sweetness, and almost stews them into loveliness. Please be careful not to overcook the fish – it’s criminal in a dish this delicious.

4 sea bass fillets

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

2 red onions, finely sliced

6 tbsp extra olive oil, plus extra if needed

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 red peppers, finely sliced

350g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

handful of black olives, halved

1 courgette, about 225g, halved lengthways and sliced into half-moons

2 garlic cloves, crushed

handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

crusty bread, to serve

Serves: 4 | Takes: 1 hour 15 minutes

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spread the onions out in a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray, toss with 3 tablespoons of the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through.

Remove the tray from the oven and stir the butter into the onions until melted. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the remaining olive oil and more salt and pepper, but not the fish. Toss so everything is well combined.

Roast for 40 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender and releasing their juices – if they look a little dry add a splash more olive oil.

Remove the tray from the oven, add the fish, skin-side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 8–10 minutes (the exact time will depend on the thickness of your fish) until just cooked through. Remove the skin from the fish and serve immediately with the vegetables spooned over, and crusty bread for dunking in the oily juices.