A very delicious baked fish with potatoes, peas, spinach

The best way to bring out the natural flavors of a fish is to keep it simple. Butter, olive oil and some fresh herbs work to elevate the taste of fish without overwhelming it. The beauty of this recipe is that you can cook it for one person or 10 with similar ease. It does not require a huge amount of ingredients, so depending on how many people you are cooking for you can double or triple them accordingly. I had some salmon fillets lingering in my freezer, so I am using those, but you can use any firm-fleshed white fish like Red Sea grouper or sea bass. 

Cooking time: 20 minutes 

Serves 1 (can be doubled or tripled accordingly to serve larger numbers)

3 baby potatoes or one medium-sized potato 

50g frozen peas, defrosted 

2 limes, zested and juiced 

1 teaspoon capers, chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

50g spinach

1 heaping tablespoon coriander leaves chopped, plus extra to garnish

1 salmon fillet or other firm-flesh fish, room temperature 

1 large tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

If the fish is frozen, take out and leave to defrost for half an hour or so. (Don’t use hot water to expedite this. You will end up with fish that tastes like it's been boiled in a teacup.) Do the same with the peas. While that’s happening, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and bake the potatoes with their skins on until soft, around 20 mins. Take out and cut in half. Sprinkle it with sea salt and put aside. 

Get the spinach and mix in a bowl with the oil and coriander and a little more salt. In a small bowl mix the garlic, butter, capers, lime zest and the juice of 1 lime and some salt and pepper. Bring a pot of water to boil. Fill another bowl with cold water and ice cubes. 

Arrange the spinach in a glass baking tray so that everything fits snugly, lay the potatoes on top, then place the fish over the spinach next to the potatoes. 

Slather butter mixture over the fish. Cook for 13–15 minutes until the fish is cooked but still juicy. While the fish is cooking, cook the peas in the boiling water for around 3 minutes, then drain quickly and drop into the bowl of iced water for another 5 minutes. 

To serve, put the strained peas on a plate, and spoon over the salmon and potatoes so the peas get bathed in the butter sauce. Squeeze over some extra lime and garnish with coriander. 

Tips for making this work

How to buy fish: When you go to buy your fish, ask when and where the fish was caught. Try to steer clear of farmed fish. Ideally you want to develop a relationship with someone who is catching and selling their fish on the same day, which a number of fishermen from Suez do in Cairo. (If this is the case, then you can also get your hands on more perishable items like clams and crabs.) The fresher the fish, the better the taste. If buying a whole fish, check for clear eyes, with shiny and bright skin/scales. Fresh fish has a clean, inoffensive smell. If the fish actually smells bad, it’s because it is.