Psari plaki (baked fish) with roasted lemon, oregano and feta potatoes
This Greek-style dish of baked fish in tomatoes and olives is served with perfectly crispy potato wedges on the side.
Ingredients
For the roast potatoes
- 1kg/2lb 4oz waxy potatoes, Cyprus if possible, peeled and cut into large wedges
- 1 stock cube (chicken or vegetable)
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 lemons, juice only
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú feta
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the psari plaki
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper (or ¼ tsp dried red chilli flakes)
- 400g tin whole plum tomatoes or passata
- ½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp capers
- 60g/2¼oz pitted black olives, roughly chopped
- 600g/1lb 5oz white fish, such as cod or haddock
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the roast potatoes, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Place the potatoes in a roasting tray large enough to hold them all in a single layer.
Dissolve the stock cube in a jug with 250ml/9fl oz of boiling water. Whisk in the olive oil and oregano, then squeeze in the juice from both the lemons. Add the garlic then season generously with salt and black pepper. Whisk again to combine and then pour over the potatoes and turn a few times to distribute all the flavours.
Shake out the potatoes so they’re in one layer. Roast for 1 hour, then carefully turn the potatoes over. The stock at this point should have cooked away.
Cook for a further 25–30 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and crisp.
Meanwhile, to make the psari plaki, place a large flameproof frying pan or shallow flameproof casserole on a medium-low heat and add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Season well with salt and sauté for 10 minutes so they start to soften.
Stir in 1½ teaspoons of dried oregano and all the Aleppo pepper, followed by the tinned tomatoes and 100ml/3½fl oz of water. Break the tomatoes up with a spoon and bring everything to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
Stir in most of the flat-leaf parsley, along with all the capers. Add the black olives.
If your fish is in one piece, cut into four equal portions. Pat the fish dry using kitchen paper and place in a non-reactive bowl or dish. Season it well with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the cumin and remaining ½ teaspoon of oregano.
Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and toss it all together.
Nestle the fish in the tomato sauce and place the pan in the oven and bake for about 20–25 minutes at the same temperature as the potatoes.
Finish by squeezing the remaining lemon half over the psari plaki and sprinkling over the remaining chopped parsley. Crumble the feta over the potatoes and serve with the fish.
