I discovered the Dark Days Challenge on the Urban Hennery blog by Laura.

The idea is to eat at least one meal each week that is SOLE:

Sustainable
Organic
Local
Ethical

It sounded simple until I shopped for ingredients. I could find organic produce, but often it came from distant countries like Egypt or Israel, which isn’t local or transport-sustainable. The selection of organic items in my rural shops was limited.

After a bit of thought I realised I already had everything I needed at home. The result was a pleasant surprise: a kind of Fish & Chips, SOLE-style.

Roasted sea bass and potatoes recipe

Ingredients for the fish

Here’s the main ingredient, a beautiful sea bass.

It was caught locally by line around Anglesey by my friend Gareth a couple of months ago. As a wild-caught local fish it fits the SOLE principles. I froze it as soon as I received it. Underneath the fish in the photo is some prostrate rosemary from my garden.

I also had onion, garlic and thyme flavoured olive oil from making a fish confit the previous day.

Method for the fish

Preheat a fan oven to 230°C (450°F).

Take a sheet of foil large enough to form a sealed parcel and oil it lightly.

Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Place the fish on the foil with a sprig of rosemary underneath, two sprigs inside the body cavity and one on top. Spoon the flavoured oil generously over the fish. Seal the foil parcel and place it in a roasting tin.

Roast for 30 minutes, then let the fish rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.

The potatoes

Here’s a reliable method for crispy roast potatoes. Use floury, mature potatoes — in the UK I like King Edward or Maris Piper. Place the baking tray you’ll use for the potatoes in the oven to warm when you put the oven on for the fish. Use a shallow tray so the potatoes roast rather than steam.

Peel and parboil the potatoes in a covered pan for 5 minutes. Drain and return them to the pan; cover and shake so the edges roughen. That increased surface area creates the crispy bits when they roast.

Put just enough oil or fat on the very hot tray from the oven to coat the potatoes — too much fat will cause steaming instead of roasting. I used olive oil. Roll the potatoes in the oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven. In my fan oven they take about 40 minutes; times will vary by oven. Turn the potatoes halfway through cooking.

When done, the potatoes are golden and crisp outside and light and fluffy inside.

Start the potatoes before the fish; they can cook in the same oven.

My veg – tarragon runner beans

I had runner beans in the freezer from our 2009 harvest, blanched and frozen at pick. They only needed reheating and a simple dressing. For this I used extra virgin olive oil and a tarragon vinegar made from tarragon we grew in the polytunnel.

Place the beans in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Drain, then toss with about a tablespoon each of olive oil and tarragon vinegar, and season to taste.

The result

The fish developed a texture and flavour reminiscent of classic “chip shop” fish, complemented by salty roast potatoes and the tangy, fragrant beans. The meal offered a pleasing range of textures and flavours and was simple to prepare — you can have everything on the table in under an hour from start to finish.

Buon appetito!