Chef!
IN THE BAG
G.P.T Smokehouse chef JACK SCARTERFIELD indulges his love of seafood with a super-easy barbecue all-in-one dish – and no washing up!
M
y love of seafood comes from watching Rick Stein, explains Jack, chef at Bath’s G.P.T Smokehouse. Great recipes such as skate with black butter or roasted cod with parsley sauce are still some of my favourites. The simplicity of seafood cookery excites me. Fresh fish is a real treat: not cheap, but worth every penny. Having spent seven years working closely with Mitch Tonks at Fishworks – and my first head chef, Gary Rosser, who is now at The Scallop Shell in Beckington, I learnt that you don’t need to complicate seafood. Treat every ingredient with respect, whether it is a fresh Dover sole or a humble cockle – let the food do the talking. It is great to be back in Bath, with all of the fantastic local producers surrounding us and the great restaurants. The food we serve at G.P.T Smokehouse is not just smoked barbecue classics (thanks to our handmade American hot smoker), but also some lovely seasonal seafood, simply cooked on our Spanish-style plancha. This dish is cooked in a bag over the grill, and we use Cornish shellfish sourced from the Scallop Shell in Beckington and vegetables from Chris Rich in Batheaston and Larkhall. ✱ G.P.T SMOKEHOUSE, 44-45 Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3BD; 01225 429509; gptbath.com
BARBECUE BASS IN A BAG (SERVES 4)
INGREDIENTS 1 line-caught wild sea bass (approx. 1.4 kg) handful of fresh thyme 8 baby rainbow carrots, washed and peeled 8 baby beetroot, washed and peeled 400g mussels, cleaned 400g clams, cleaned 1 tsp crushed, dried chilli 1 glass Prosecco 600g baby new potatoes, boiled until tender 1 garlic bulb, roasted 50g salted butter 50ml extra virgin olive oil (plus extra to serve) ½ lemon METHOD – Preheat the barbecue. – Lay out tin foil and parchment paper, double the size of the sea bass. – Place the fish in the centre of the foil bag. Score the skin 3-4 times down to the bone and stuff with the thyme. Scatter over the rainbow carrots and baby beets, mussels, clams, dried chilli, Prosecco, new potatoes, roasted garlic, butter, olive oil and season with salt and pepper. – Wrap up the bag and seal tightly. Place the bag on the side of the barbecue (not the centre), so that it cooks slowly and evenly. – Cook for 40 minutes. To check if the fish is fully cooked, gently pull the fins closest to the head. If they come out clean and easily then the fish is fully cooked. – Squeeze with lemon and season with sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil. The juice from the shellfish, butter and Prosecco will make a beautiful sauce, so don’t forget to drizzle over the fish! Serve immediately.
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