Whole John Dory with clams & courgettes

“Also known as Saint Peter’s fish, after the patron saint of fishermen, John Dory is a beautiful fish. This was the first dish I cooked on the show, and no sooner had I finished and walked away to wash my hands than some eager French people huddled around the pan and started to dive in. A vote of confidence, if ever I saw one!” - James

Image credit: Peter Cassidy

Ingredients

2 courgettes, thickly sliced
2 heritage tomatoes, thickly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 x 1kg John Dory, gutted and fins removed
50ml olive oil
375ml dry white wine
15 basil leaves
300g clams, washed
Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Print Recipe

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Arrange the courgettes and tomatoes over a roasting tin. Slot the shallot slices in between the courgettes and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the John Dory with salt and pepper, place on top of the vegetables and drizzle with half the olive oil. Pour the white wine over and scatter with the basil leaves. Cover tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully lift off the foil and add the clams, then cover again and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes or until the clams open up (discard any that remain closed).

Remove from the oven, add parsley leaves and a final drizzle of olive oil.

Ingredients

2 courgettes, thickly sliced
2 heritage tomatoes, thickly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 x 1kg John Dory, gutted and fins removed
50ml olive oil
375ml dry white wine
15 basil leaves
300g clams, washed
Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Arrange the courgettes and tomatoes over a roasting tin. Slot the shallot slices in between the courgettes and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from the oven, add parsley leaves and a final drizzle of olive oil.

This recipe is from the book:

James Martin’s French Adventure

“Some thirty years since Floyd on France first screened, the chance to follow in his footsteps and, to return to the places that have shaped my own life and career was too good to resist. I hope this book will give you a small taste of what I learnt and the things I discovered on my French adventure, and that you’ll enjoy the trip as much as I did!”
- James

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