BAKED FISH IN VERJUS

Last month I had the pleasure of being Mount Zero Olives first ever Mount Zero Hero! Each week I shared an original recipe featuring Mount Zero produce. Very proud! With this recipe I used their chardonnay verjus to bring sweetness and zing to this one pot baked fish recipe. 

BAKED FISH IN VERJUS

SERVES 2-4

PROVISIONS

• Splash Mount Zero extra virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, white part sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• Handful fennel, sliced
• Pinch Mount Zero pink lake salt
• 1 cup Mount Zero verjus
• 1 tomato, quartered
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 kipfler potato, halved
• Fish stock, to cover*
• Pinch saffron
• Peel of 1 lemon
• 1 fillet salmon, halved
• 2 flat head tails
• Handful Mount Zero manzanilla olives

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
2. Place an ovenproof pan over a medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil. Add leek, garlic, fennel, a pinch of salt and cook until soft.
3. Add verjus and stir.
4. Arrange tomato, thyme, potato in the pan and cover half way with fish stock.
5. Add a pinch of saffron and lemon peel and bake until potato is cooked through (20-30 minutes depending on your oven and the size of the potatoes).
6. When potatoes are cooked, arrange fish on top, add olives and a good splash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake until fish is cooked (6-10 minutes depending on your oven and the size of your fish).
7. Serve it as is, with a good crusty bread or bowl of warm quinoa.

*If you are making your own fish stock, boil a fish head with a few parsley stems, celery and peppercorns, strain through a fine sieve. Freeze any remaining stock.