Whole plaice grilled with roasted red pepper, garlic and oregano

Plaice cooked whole (on the bone) has more flavour and is moister that plaice fillets.  In this recipe, the plaice is cooked whole and is flavoured with red peppers, chilli and garlic.  The effect of these ingredients is to give the dish and Middle Eastern flavour.  It also looks highly attractive.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 42 Mins

Total Time: 1 Hr

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

1                    Plaice  - large, trimmed          

½                   Pepper  - red          

1                    Chilli  - medium-hot, chopped   

60 ml              Olive oil    

1 clove            Garlic  - chopped finely          

1 tsp               Oregano    

2 tsp               Lemon juice            

                     Pepper  - black, freshly ground 

½ tsp             Salt          

Method

Put the fish on a board dark-side up.  Make a cut down the centre of each fish from head to tail.  Then make a series of smaller cuts out from the first one towards the sides so that they look like the veins of a leaf.  Turn over the fish and repeat on the other side.

Roast the red pepper in a hot oven (180°C) for 30 minutes – until the skin flakes.  Remove the skin and seeds from it and chop the flesh finely.  Mix this with the chilli, oil, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper to make the marinade.

One hour before cooking, put the fish into a shallow dish and pour over the marinade, making sure it goes right into the slashes.

Heat the grill to a high temperature.  Transfer the fish to a baking tray, dark-side up and pour on the marinade.  Grill for 12 minutes.  Serve.

Wine recommendations

A white wine that is not too aromatic.

Conventional

     Chablis

Interesting

     Jurançon sec

     Mâcon

     Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur lie

     Muscat d'Alsace