Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

Baked bream fillets

with fennel and orange

This is a healthy and refreshing way to serve bream fillets.

If you can't get hold of bream, then sea bass fillets would

work just as well. Serve with new potatoes.

Preheat t he oven to 2oo°ClGas 6. Trim the bream fillets to neaten, and
remove any pin-bones with kitchen tweezers. Score the skin of each
fillet at 5mm intervals. Chill until ready to cook.

Halve each fe nnel bulb and slice finely, using a mandoline if possible.

Scatter the fennel over the base oftwo lightly oiled, deep baking trays.

To segment the o ranges, slice off the top and bottom to just expose

the flesh. Stand on a board and cut along the curve of the fruit to

remove the pepl and white pith. Now, holding the fruit over a sieve set

on top of a bOWl, ~ut along the membranes to release each segment.

Finally, squeeze the core to extract the juices before discarding.

Scatter the orange segments over the fennel. Trickle over the reserved
orange juice, then add the wine. Sprinkle with the sugar and some
salt and pepper. Cover each tray with foil and place in the oven. Bake
for 10-15 minutes until the fennel is just tender.

Remove the foil and scatter the basil leaves over the oranges and
fennel. Rub the bream fillets with a little olive oil and season well with
salt and pepper. Lay them on top of the oranges and fennel. Drizzle
over a little more olive oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper.
Scatter over the thyme sprigs.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until the fish is opaque and feels slightly firm

when pressed. Divide the fennel and orange between warm plates

and top with t he fish fillets. Serve at once.

SERVES 4

4 bream fillets, with

skin, about 150g each

2 medium fennel bulbs,

trimmed (fronds

reserved if intact)

2 large oranges

75-100ml dry white

wine

2 tsp caster sugar

sea salt and black pepper

few basil sprigs, leaves

only

olive oil, to rub and

drizzle

small handful of thyme

sprigs

CATCH OF THE DAY 115