Blue-eye is a fish that many Tasmanians are familiar with. It is often called trevalla, blue-eye cod, Antarctic butterfish, bluenose warehou or sea bass. Sound confusing? Thankfully, some years back, the CSIRO published a book on the actual names of Australian seafood. On an island girt by deep seas, travellers are often surprised by the lack of diversity available in the state’s few fish markets.

It seems much of Tasmania’s seafood bounty heads over to the mainland and to international destinations where suppliers and diners are prepared to pay for its unique provenance. However, this doesn’t leave much for the local market. Many people also routinely go fishing, so they are less likely to fork out top dollar for fish such as blue-eye, which they can catch themselves.

On a recent trip to Spain, I was flabbergasted by the array of fresh and frozen seafood available. As each year passes, I gain another layer of respect and admiration for the cooking traditions in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

There is an accepted conventional wisdom in the pairing of legumes with pork, however the link with fish such as blue-eye and beans is less common. Broad beans are one of my favourite legumes. I love them podded, boiled in salted water and chilled for a salad. The dried variety, often called fava, take some soaking overnight before cooking, and will enhance a dish with their crumbly texture.

Of course, you always need a bit of acidity to focus the flavours, so I’ve added lemony breadcrumbs to this blue-eye recipe for more texture. Please enjoy having a crack at my sunny, zesty fish and bean marriage. I hope it stands the test of time.

What can you serve with blue-eye?

There are plenty of side dishes that are ideal for blue-eye: lemony roast potatoes, rice pilaf or wild rice, or a fresh cucumber and mint salad.

Ingredients

Olive oil, for greasing

Regular breadcrumbs, for coating

4 x 200g fillets of blue-eye (or other white-fleshed fish)

2 red onions, finely sliced

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 x 400g cans crushed Italian tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 garlic cloves, crushed

½ cup white wine

2 teaspoons Greek oregano

1 cup toasted panko breadcrumbs

100g feta cheese, crumbled

½ bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped

2 x 400g cans fava beans

100ml olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Brush a large roasting tray with olive oil. Pour in a cup or two of regular breadcrumbs and shuffle the pan around so the inside of it is coated with the crumbs. Discard any remaining loose breadcrumbs.

Gently place the fish fillets on some paper towel and pat dry. Brush the skin with a little olive oil and season very well with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, mix the red onion slices and lemon juice together in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and allow mixture to stand for 20 minutes, until the colour starts to intensify.

In a bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, white wine and oregano together. Season the mixture well with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs, crumbled feta, lemon zest and parsley.

Place the fava beans evenly on the bottom of the roasting tray. Now pour over the tomato mix and spread it out. Finally, add the red onion mixture and half of the olive oil. Place the roasting tray in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and place the fish fillets, skin-side up, on top of the fava beans and tomato. Scatter the lemon breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle the remaining olive oil over, before returning the tray to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Serve the fish fillets with your side dishes of choice.

Writer Steve Cumper