Seafood is always at the forefront, especially with on Good Friday!

The Christian tradition of eating fish rather than meat is becoming part of a broader cultural tradition that we have embraced. I will take you through the simple steps you need to follow to end up with a perfectly cooked fish to share your family and friends this Good Friday. Seafood can be really expensive to serve a crowd, so when entertaining a number of guests I always choose a whole fish. Not only is it great value for money, whole fish is also really easy to prepare and cook and it makes a spectacular centrepiece on the table.

Once you’ve nailed the fish cook you can can add any number of garnishes or sauces to take it to the next level.

ONE

CHOOSING AND PREPARING A WHOLE FISH FOR EASTER- Make sure you buy locally sourced fish. Ask where it came from and if it is sustainably farmed or caught!

TWO

Check the fish is in good shape by looking for these signs: A nice bright plump eye - Healthy looking pink gills - Firm and Bright silver flesh- No strong smell

THREE

Have our seafood provider (Woolworths or Coles at Galleria Shopping Center) gut and scale your fish for you. When you get your fish home and you are ready to cook, remove it from the wrapping and pop it onto the right sized baking tray for the fish, lined with baking paper.

FOUR

Use a sharp knife to place three slightly diagonal slices through the flesh from the fin down towards the belly on each side.

FIVE

Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Add slices of lemon and herbs of your choice to the inside of the belly.

SIX

Tie the fish around the belly in two places to keep the herbs and lemon in and tuck two more pieces of lemon between the side facing up and the tied cooking string.

SEVEN

Bake in your preheated oven for the appropriate amount of time for the size of your fish.

Roast on high heat: Cook your fish for 18-20 minutes at 220°C, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 62°C and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will vary according to the type/size of your fish so use Google to fine tune your cook.)

EIGHT

Remove fish from the tray to a platter, snip string away, but use roasted lemons as garnish. Fish is best served with large forks to remove the flesh. Add whichever sauce you enjoy.

• I used a green sauce which is super simple to create in a blender or food processor.

Place the following ingredients into a blender and blend to a smooth consistency.

Ingredients (fresh ingredients all from Morley Fresh)

1 cup parsley, roughly chopped

½ bunch chives, roughly chopped

½ cup coriander, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1 cup oil - add more if you’d like a thinner sauce

Salt to taste

Add a tsp of sugar if you’d like to balance the acidity of the lemon (optional)