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p98 cropped Baked Summer Plaice with herb butter

Baked Summer Plaice

If you have never baked a whole fish because you weren't sure how, let Darina Allen, one of the world's most cherished cooking teachers, show you how.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Irish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 4 Servings
Calories: 154 kcal
Author: Darina Allen

Ingredients:

  • 4 very fresh summer whole plaice or Dover sole, cleaned
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Herb Butter:

  • 3½ tablespoons to ½ cup (about 50 g to 113 g; 1 stick) salted butter
  • 4 teaspoons mixed finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives, fennel, and thyme leaves

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C .
  2. Turn the fish on its side and remove the head. Wash the fish and clean the slit very thoroughly. With a sharp knife, cut through the dark skin right round the fish, just where the “fringe” meets the flesh. Be careful to cut neatly and to cross the side cuts at the tail or it will be difficult to remove the skin later on.
  3. Sprinkle the fish with salt and freshly ground pepper. In a shallow baking pan, lay the fish in a generous ¼ inch (6 mm) of water. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. The water should have almost evaporated as the fish is cooked. Check to see whether the fish is cooked by lifting the flesh from the bone at the head and it should lift off the bone easily and be white with no trace of pink.
  4. Just before serving, make the herb butter: In a saucepan, gently melt the butter, then stir in the freshly chopped herbs.
  5. To serve, grasp the skin near the tail of the fish and pull it off gently (the skin will tear badly if not properly cut as above). Lift the fish onto hot plates and spoon the herb butter evenly over the fish. Serve immediately.

Notes:

Tip

  • We were thrilled to highlight this recipe as an example of how you can use cookbooks that you love and still cook and eat low FODMAP.
Nutrition Facts
Baked Summer Plaice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 154 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 2mg1%
Sodium 6mg0%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 20IU0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.