Parma ham Wrapped Roasted Bream

Served with: Saint-Aubin or Saint-Véran Burgundy wine. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 fennel bulbs, cut into ½ cm cubes
• ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• A large knob of butter
• A large glass of white wine
• 30g pinenuts
• 150g pitted black couchillo olives
• 80g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• A small handful of finely chopped parsley leaves
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 4 bream portions (approx. 200g each)
• 8 slices of Parma ham
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings to serve

Preparation:

1. Pre heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Lay the fish out on a chopping board and season both sides with salt and pepper. Wrap 2 pieces of Parma ham round each piece of fish and rub 1 tbsp of the oil over all 4 pieces. Place the fish on a baking tray and roast in the hot oven for 16-18 minutes or until the Parma ham has turned golden and crispy and the fish cooked through and tender.
2. Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just turning golden. Chuck in the fennel, chilli, butter, white wine and a really good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything together really well, bring to the boil, add the lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 18-20 minutes, or until the fennel is lovely tender, but still has a little bite.
3. Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the pine nuts. Toast for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan continuously, until the pinenuts turn golden brown. Tip the pinenuts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and lemon juice into the cooked fennel and mix everything together really well. Serve immediately with the fish on top of a mound of the savoury fennel, with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.