Baked ray wings with artichokes & capers

The brilliant thing about this dish is that it’s just that – a full dish, in one handy bag! Folding your tin foil or baking parchment may take some time, but it’s worth getting right for the moment your guests unveil their own succulent fish on a bed of potatoes and artichoke!

Ingredients

  • 4 generous tablespoons of capers, drained
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 4 x 225g ray wings, trimmed and halved
  • 4 small glasses of white wine (125ml each)
  • 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 4 tablespoons of crème fraîche
  • 1 kg small potatoes
  • 5 medium to large globe artichokes
  • 1 lemon
  • 4 heaped tablespoons of butter, melted
  • 1 handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • 1 large handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Take 4 A5-sized pieces of tin foil or baking parchment. Fold each piece in half, the fold the 2 ends in tightly, making a sort of envelope. Preheat the oven to 250ºC.
  2. Cool the potatoes in a pan of boiling water until soft, then drain and set aside. Once cool, slice the potatoes roughly.
  3. Peel back the leaves of the artichoke, and remove the ‘choke’ (the hairy, purple part in the middle) with a teaspoon. Rub the artichokes with lemon juice and slice them finely.
  4. Place the artichokes and potatoes together in a bowl with the melted butter, thyme, parsley and capers. Season everything well, toss it all together and divide it between your bags, saving any excess butter for later.
  5. Season the ray wings (rubbing the leftover butter onto them too!) and place on top of the potatoes and artichokes. Add a small glass of white wine and a sprig of rosemary to each bag.
  6. Tightly seal the final side of the back and pull the corners so that they’re pointing upwards. Bake on a roasting tray for 15 minutes. By this time the bags will be beautifully puffed up.
  7. Serve at the table so that your guests can open their bags themselves, leaving a plate of flavoursome vegetables, fish and juice! Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and a fresh green salad.