Whole roast turbot with potatoes baked in salt

Method

By Annie Bell 

1 Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brush the lemon slices with oil on both sides and sear these for about 1 minute each side until coloured. Score the flesh of both sides of the turbot quite deeply, diagonally at 5cm intervals. Season the slits well on both sides with salt and pepper, then stuff them with a pinch of the thyme and rosemary. Place the fish pale-side down in a roasting or grill pan. Pour over the wine, then lay over the lemon slices and dot with the butter.

2 Roast for 30-35 minutes until the flesh is just cooked. It should have lost its translucency and come away from the bone with ease. When serving, top a fillet of turbot with creamed spinach, drizzle with a little of the cranberry purée and accompany with the potatoes.

Potatoes baked in salt
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Scatter 250g Maldon sea salt over the base of
a roasting dish about 35cm x 25cm then scatter over 6 bay leaves.
Cut a cross in the tops of 1kg small waxy-fleshed potatoes, nestle them cross-upwards in the salt and bake for 1½ hours. They can be cooked in advance of the fish and popped back into the oven for 5-10 minutes before the fish is ready. To serve, press on the corners of each cross to push the potato open a little, and drop in a sliver of unsalted butter.