How to make a Mediterranean Fish Tray bake

This blog shows you how to make the Mediterranean Fish Tray bake featured in this video. Feel free to change the vegetables and seasonings and customise the recipe to your liking and what you have in the kitchen. I have also provided a list of easy sauces, flavoured butter and fresh salsa to inspire you to cook more fish on a regular basis.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 800g baby potatoes
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 courgette, chopped
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• Handful of black olives (stone removed), rinsed
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
• Sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 x 120 g fish fillets of your choice e.g. salmon, cod, hake etc.
• Salt and pepper

Dressing:Small handful fresh basil leaves

•  Juice ½ lemon
•  ½ a small clove of garlic
•  ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
•  4 heaped tbsp. Low fat Greek style yoghurt
•  ½ lemon sliced into rounds
•  1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 10g fresh basil leaves

Simple side dishes to go with this recipe:

This dish is delicious as is, but it is always nice to add another element that gives you a greater variety of flavours and nutrients. Not to mention, things to help mop up the delicious sauce that the roasted vegetables make. Having a variety of side dishes also makes the recipe feel like new each time you make it.

Greek green salad: mix 1 medium head of chopped and washed romaine lettuce with 1 diced cucumber, 3 chopped spring onions, 15 kalamata olives, 100g of feta cheese and ½ cup of fresh dill. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.

Butter beans with spinach: heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté a diced onion until very soft. Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and cook until fragrant. Add a can of rinsed, drained butter beans and cook for 5 minutes. Wilt in 150g of fresh spinach. You can also use frozen spinach and cook until heated through. Season well, drizzle with EVOO and fresh lemon juice. I often mash the beans slightly if I have a saucy dish to mop up.

Homemade garlic bread toasts: Mix 150g of softened butter with 4-6 cloves of crushed garlic and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Take 2 medium baguettes or ciabatta and slice them lengthways. Toast them under the oven grill for a few minutes. Spread the garlic butter over the toasted bread, add finely grated Parmesan if you like, and toast under the grill until golden. Slice into thick slices.

Herby couscous: make the couscous by barely covering with boiling water in a glass or metal bowl to retain the heat. Cover with a plate and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork. Squeeze over lemon, lime, orange or mandarin juice. Add whatever soft herbs you have: mint, parsley, basil, chives, coriander. Season with salt and pepper. This little bit of TLC will change the way you look at couscous.

A wholegrain: there are really lovely, chewy grains to experiment with. Try farro, spelt, barley or bulgur wheat. On a Sunday, I often cook up a batch to use in salads, soups or as a side. You’d be amazed at how available these have become in shops. These grains are also traditional in Mediterranean cooking so they will work really well.

Easy sauces and salsa for fish:

Most people would love to enjoy more fish recipes in their diet but feel daunted at the thought of cooking fish at home. You can simply bake fillets of fish seasoned with EVOO, lemon juice, salt and pepper and serve with one of the delicious sauces below. An average fillet will take 15-20 minutes in a 200°C oven to cook. The main thing is not to overcook fish, it cooks very quickly.

Orange and ginger sauce: combine 400ml chicken stock, 4 tbsp marmalade, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tbsp soy sauce and the juice of 1 lime in a pot. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Add a little tabasco or hot sauce if you like a bit of heat. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated in a clean glass jar for a week or so. Really good with salmon or trout.

Café de Paris Butter: mix 250g of soft butter with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp lemon juice, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp curry powder, 1 diced shallot, 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Transfer the butter onto a piece of parchment paper, shape into a log and roll up like a Christmas cracker. Refrigerate until solid and slice off ‘coins’ as needed and allow to melt on the cooked fish.

Spicy soy: mix 1 cup soy sauce, ½ cup water, ¼ rice wine vinegar, 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp sriracha sauce in a small pot. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until thickened. This sauce is particularly good with salmon or trout.

Mango salsa: Mix together 1 diced mango, 5 diced tomatoes, 1 diced peach, 1 diced red pepper, ½ diced red onion, juice and zest of a lime, 1 small diced chilli, 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander. Season with salt and pepper and allow flavours to infuse for 20 minutes before serving. This salsa is like a chopped salad, it’s super fresh and really healthy.

Romesco sauce: Blitz together 100ml extra virgin olive oil, 100g blanched almonds, 50g walnuts, 2 garlic cloves, 400g roasted red peppers from a jar, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp smoked paprika, 4tbsp sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. The sauce will be thick and still have a texture thanks to the nuts. Leftover romesco is delicious on green vegetables.

In this series, chef and author Rozanne Stevens prepares a series of recipes from an evidenced based cookbook called ‘Healthy Eating for Cancer Survivors’ developed by Dr. Aoife Ryan and Dr Éadaoin Ní Bhuachalla, of University College Cork (UCC), and Breakthrough Cancer Research. The Cookbook is available on https://www.breakthroughcancerresearch.ie/product/the-anti-cancer-cookbook/ More videos and recipes are available on  

Laya Healthcare has put together a cancer care guide outlining screening, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Download your guide https://www.layahealthcare.ie/media/site/pdfs/Cancer-Care-Laya-Healthcare.pdf