Whole baked herb-stuffed sea bass with fennel and potatoes

It's a Saturday nite special courtesy of The (Return of the) Naked Chef: He packed the fish with fresh dill, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, then lay the sea bass on a bed of sliced fennel and red onion. A few glugs of olive oil, a sprinkling of salt, 40 mins in a hot oven, and we had us a fine feast o' fish.

Not to give the accompaniments short shrift. Pan-fried charlotte potates and last nite's spinach salad refreshed with more leaves filled in the corners most fine, thank you.

HE SAYS: Nice meal that I haven't attempted for a while. The sea bass was cooked perfectly - more luck then skill, as it's always a little bit of a crapshoot as far as timings for the fish go because it's wrapped in loads of foil that you don't want to unwrap until the end to keep in all the flavour-flavs...plus it's super-fiddly. I'm not usually a fan of anything aniseed-tasting, but the fennel seeds and fresh fennel slices give this dish nice subtle aromatic overtones, while the red onions lend a slighly sweet touch.

The potatoes turned out crunchy and light; cooked 'em forever, it seemed. I always think before I attempt this dish that it has masses of prep work but it's actually a very quick one and easy on the washing up, which always puts a smile on my face after the last bite.

SHE SAYS: I was swooning over the silky texture and clean, oceanic flavours of the sea bass; this is quite possibly my favourite fish dish. The fennel and red onion made for the perfect sharp and sweet contrasts - my only quibble would be that the veg could have been a tad more tender. Potatoes were classically delicious and filling, and the salad just couldn't go wrong.

08.04.08: Mustard chops, spinach and mash

She's keeping it simple: lamb chops marinated in mustard, olive oil, garlic and lemon a la Nigel Slater's Food Diaries; charlotte potatoes mashed with milk and marge, finished with slices of dark soy-basted portobello mushrooms (grilled a couple of nites ago 'just because'), and spinach shallow-boiled with a touch of nutmeg. The salad is the decadent bit tonite, with grapes, avo, and feta peeking thru the mixed rocket leaves.

HE SAYS: Definitely a Hungry-Man meal. Enjoyed the mustardy chops immensely, and the nutmeg in the spinach was a dee-licious surprise. Salad was elevated to greater tasty heights with the inclusion of the not-so-goaty feta and sweet, sweet grapes. Thumbs up all 'round!

SHE SAYS: 'Proper food' was the phrase that came to mind when I surveyed my plate this evening. Chops had just enough tangy singedness to the edges and were nice and pink inside - suppose the larger chops could have done with another couple minutes on each side, but it's better than being too tough. Spinach was light and suprisingly filling, needing nothing more than its nutmeg wink to satisfy. The hearty mash found a very decent partner in the mushroom slices, which had a nice gravy effect.

26.02.08: Salmon, potatoes, and red cabbage

Simple salmon grilled with olive oil and salt, pan-fried Charlotte potatoes with rosemary, and the highly reliable red cabbage (only two portions left in the freezer, more's the pity).

HE SAYS: I thought the salmon was cooked perfectly and simply, and the potatoes were delish with the added rosemary. Red cabbage ain't failed me yet.

SHE SAYS: Using up some leftover rosemary gave the potatoes a nice lift. Although Charlotte potatoes are promoted mostly for salads, they browned up crispy on the outside and stayed velvety on the inside after lots of dutiful sauteeing in a touch of peanut oil. Salmon had a good, clean flavour, and the red cabbage was as divine as ever.