I had never cooked wrasse before developing this recipe – it has a delicate flesh reminiscent of plaice and demands gentle cooking or quick tempura-style frying.  Its soft texture is ideal for young children and the tang of lime and coriander lift this out ofthe ordinary.  One tip – if you plan to have this with steamed potatoes as we did, put the spuds on a good 10 minutes before the fish goes in the oven!

 Ingredients

4 wrasse fillets, about 500g in total

15g butter

2tsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1 fresh bay leaf

1 lime

4tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

125g salted butter

40ml dry white wine

 Method

1.  Preheat oven to 200c .    Take a large sheet of aluminium foil and butter an area in the centre large enough for the fillets to sit in one layer. Tear the bayleaf in two and lay on top of the butter.  Place the fillets on top and drizzle with olive oil.  Using a potato peeler, pare off two strips of lime peel  and place these on top with a pinch of sea salt and a grind of black pepper.

2. Bring up the foil into a parcel and pour in the wine before sealing it securely.  Place in the ovenfor 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, grate the remaining lime zest into a bowl and add the coriander with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Add the 125g butter and get squidging with ringless fingers to mix thoroughly.  Form this into a sausage shape and set aside.

4. When the fish is done, undo the parcel and carefully lift each fillet onto a plate.  Top with a couple of slices of the butter .  Pour the juices from the parcel into a small jug or bowl for use at the table.

Serving suggestion: This eats beautifully with simple steamed potatoes, greens and broccoli.

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