Sea Bass and Miso Risotto

Whether baking it in the oven, or briskly pan-frying it, fish is ideal for quick and flavoursome weeknight dinners whilst being very diet friendly to boot. Sea Bass and Miso Risotto from Pinch of Nom is a case of ‘looks can be deceiving’.

At first glance, it looks like plain old fish and rice. But adding the miso paste gives this meal a tasty twist, and if you drizzle some Siracha or hot sauce over the top of the bass  (as Pinch of Nom suggest) your plate is catapulted into a whole new dimension. My wife and son love it which gives me a lot of pleasure as a mediocre but willing home cook.

This recipe is straightforward to make but you do have to keep a close eye on things so the risotto doesn’t stick to the pan. And make sure your frying pan is also sufficiently hot before you add the sea bass fillets. They literally only need about 5 minutes to perfectly cook through. If you love sea bass, check out baked sea bass with peppers and pine nuts, or pan-fried cod with Asian dressing is another really easy and quick fish dish to prep.

Recipe: Sea Bass and Miso Risotto

Calories: 333 per serving

Serves: 4

Book: Pinch of Nom

Prep time: Approx 10 mins

Cooking time: Approx 25 mins

Ingredients:

• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 200g Arborio risotto rice
• 900ml fish or vegetable stock (1 fish or vegetable stock cube dissolved in 900ml boiling water)
• 100g frozen peas
• 1 tsp white miso paste
• 4 sea bass fillets

Cost per portion: Approx £1.90

Method:

Spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until soft but not browned. Stir in the rice.

Pour 300ml of the stock into the frying pan and stir frequently for 10 minutes, until it has almost all evaporated, then add 300ml more stock and continue to stir. When it has almost all evaporated add the final 300ml of stock and turn the heat up to medium. Add the frozen peas and miso paste, stir well and cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a separate frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. Add the sea bass fillets, skin-side down, and cook for 4 minutes, then turn them over and cook for a further 1 minute 30 seconds on the other side, or until the fish is cooked through.

The rice should now be tender, but with a slight bite. Divide the risotto among four plates and top with a sea bass fillet.