Diana Lampe: Greek-style baked fish with lemon potatoes and dill salad

The first recipe below is for Greek-style baked fish, or psari plaki. This method of baking fish with a tasty tomato, vegetable and herb sauce is popular in Greece. It is a healthy dish, too. The recipe can be adapted for use with different types and cuts of fish or with a whole fish. I like to use blue-eyed cod steaks when available; snapper is good too, but you can use any fresh white fish you like. Cooking times will vary, of course.

The delicious roasted lemon potatoes can be cooked in the oven at the same time as the fish. Remember them too, next time you roast a leg or shoulder of lamb and be sure to make plenty. The shredded cos lettuce, spring onion and dill salad with a lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil dressing is simple and delightful. I am sure you will want to keep these recipes in your collection and make them again and again.

Greek-style baked fish (psari plaki)

Fresh tomatoes taste better in the sauce but you can use a can of tomatoes with juice instead. Add chopped fresh dill as well as parsley if you like. You can bake a whole fish using this recipe and method.

Serves 4-5

4-5 firm white fish fillets, steaks or cutlets
1 quantity of plaki sauce
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 lemon cut into wedges to serve

Plaki sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5-7 tomatoes (about 750g), peeled and sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 stick celery heart with leaves, sliced
1 carrot, chopped (optional)
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ cup white wine
1 tsp ground coriander seeds or dried oregano
sea salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper

Ask the fishmonger to skin and pin-bone the fish fillets or steak for you or do it yourself. The sauce can be made ahead. To make the plaki sauce, heat the olive oil in a saute pan with the onion and fry gently for 10 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, garlic, celery, carrot (if using), half the parsley and the ground coriander or dried oregano and cook for a few minutes. Tip in the white wine and season the vegetables with salt, sugar and pepper. Simmer, partly covered, for about 20 minutes, giving it an occasional stir.

Cut the lemons into thin slices, a few for each piece of fish. (Keep the lemon ends for juice.) Brush a gratin or baking dish with olive oil. About 30 minutes before baking time, place the fish in the dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper and squeeze over the juice from lemon ends.

Heat the oven to 180C fan or 200C regular. Spoon the plaki sauce over the fish and arrange the lemon slices on top. Spoon a little sauce on the lemon slices to keep them moist. Bake the fish in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked through. The time will depend on the size and thickness of the fish.

Garnish the baked fish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with crusty bread and roasted lemon potatoes or rice pilaf and a salad.

Roasted lemon potatoes

You can leave the potatoes unpeeled if you like. Roasted lemon potatoes are wonderful with grilled or roast lamb.

Serves 5

900g (5-6) all-purpose potatoes
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice or more to taste
⅓ to ½ cup water or stock
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 sprigs fresh oregano as garnish (optional)

Peel the potatoes and cut into about 3cm chunks. Set aside in water to cover. To make the cooking sauce, mix all the other ingredients together. Choose a baking dish that will take the potatoes in one layer and brush it with olive oil. Heat the oven to 180C fan or 200C regular.

Drain the potatoes and spread out in the baking dish. Tip the sauce over them and mix altogether. Bake the potatoes in the oven for about an hour.

Turn them after 40 minutes and add a dash more water or stock if it has all cooked away. Turn the heat up a notch to brown the potatoes for the last 10 minutes. Tip the potatoes into a serving dish and garnish with sprigs of fresh oregano. Serve hot.

Cos lettuce and dill salad (Marouli salata)

2 baby cos lettuces
6 spring onions including green
1 bunch dill
1½ tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the salad ingredients and make the dressing in a jar. Stack the cos leaves and tuck the spring onions and dill sprigs inside and roll into a bundle. Cut finely into shreds. At serving, shake the dressing and pour over the salad. Toss gently.