Barramundi, grilled prawns, spinach, “Romesco-ish” sauce, basil oil:

Not the prettiest plate of food ever cooked at Stately Prick Manor, but notable for three things. One, it was healthy, and not just in the “yeah but cheese and cream prevent osteoporosis” sense of the term.  A bit of olive oil was the only fat involved, and the closest thing to “processed” food was a bit of Italian passata in the sauce.

Which was, if I say so myself, pretty damn good. I’m calling it “Romesco-ish”. Eschallots, garlic, every herb in the garden, the aforementioned passata, a few peeled and chopped tomatoes. And a pinch of cinnamon, which worked in an odd sort of way and gave it a big, punchy depth. We’ve got some left over and will stir the remainder through some spaghetti and mussels for lunch tomorrow.

Finally, the barramundi itself was cooked sous-vide, which turns out to be a highly successful way to do fish if you get your timings right. Thanks to a chef’s helpful tip the filets were done at 56 degrees C for 20 minutes with just a bit of olive oil in the bag, and then seared off in the pan. Moist, sweet and tender – ticked all the boxes.