• 1 × 1.5 kg royal sea bream (see bank manager for second mortgage!)
• good olive oil
• 4 large potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced, then rinsed
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced into rings
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced a handful of parsley chopped
• salt and pepper
• 2 lemons

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. You will need a heavy roasting tray that can comfortably house the fish. Oil this lightly. Drain and dry the potatoes and mix them in a bowl with the onions, garlic and parsley. Add 4 tbsp of olive oil, season and toss. Arrange in the roasting dish and press down. Put the roasting dish in the oven for 20 minutes to give the potatoes a head start before you add the fish.

Lightly oil the fish and cut two slashes in each side nearly through to the spine. Put a few slices of lemon in the interior of each fish and season there as well. Place the fish, staring beadily at you, on the potatoes, moisten with olive oil and season, then roast for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and check for doneness, it may well need 5–10 minutes more. The easiest way to check for doneness is to insert a small knife near the dorsal line on the top side of the fish and prize apart the flesh until you can see the backbone; if the flesh is still pink and adhering tenaciously to the bone, put back in the oven, having moistened it with a little more olive oil. If the skin of the fish has not browned and crisped then flash under your overhead grill for a minute or so. The bottom side of the fish will have cooked more quickly due to its contact with the potatoes but will remain moist due to trapped steam.

Serve in the roasting dish and dissect it yourself for your guests, serving the potatoes alongside. Lemon wedges are essential, as is, perhaps, a little top-quality oil to drizzle on the fish.