- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 chilli
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 400g tin of butter beans
- 2 pollock fillets
- 75g pearl barely
- A handful of flat leaf parsley, leaves only
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 400ml boiling water
- 1.
Heat your oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 5. Peel the onion and slice it into 8 thick wedges. Halve the pepper, scoop out the seeds and white pith and roughly chop it. Pop the onion and pepper in a small roasting tin or ovenproof dish and add 2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat the veg in the seasoned oil. Slide into the oven and roast for 20 mins.
- 2.
While the veg roast, measure out 1 tsp each fennel and cumin seeds and add them to a dry frying pan. Toast for 1-2 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, till the seeds smell aromatic and are starting to pop. Tip them into a heatproof jug.
- 3.
Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Halve the chilli and scoop out the seeds and white pith. Finely chop the chilli. Add the garlic and chilli to the jug.
- 4.
Crumble the stock cube into the jug. Stir in 400ml boiling water and stir to dissolve the stock cube. Drain the butter beans and rinse them.
- 5.
Take the roast veg out of the oven and tip in the butter beans. Pour in the spiced stock and swirl to mix. Nestle the pollock fillets in the tin.
- 6.
Return the tin to the oven and bake for 20 mins till the pollock is opaque and flakes easily when pressed with a fork.
- 7.
While the fish and veg bake, tip the pearl barley into a small pan and pour in enough boiling water to cover it by a few cms. Cover, bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 15-20 mins till the barley is tender. Drain.
- 8.
Roughly chop the parsley. Lay a pollock fillet on each of 2 warm plates and spoon the veg and butter beans around them. Add spoonfuls of the pearl barley. Ladle over some broth from the tin and garnish with parsley to serve.