Greek-Style Prawn and Fennel Bake

Ingredients

• 700g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, fresh or frozen and thawed overnight in the fridge
• 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced into thin wedges, fronds reserved
• 400g tinned whole tomatoes, crushed by hand; ingredients must be tomatoes only
• 120g kalamata olives, pitted
• 180g feta cheese, crumbled; choose a block feta without preservatives
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 60ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• a handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to finish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Drizzle 30ml of the olive oil into a large, deep baking dish (roughly 30cm x 25cm).
2. Arrange the fennel wedges in a single layer in the baking dish. Scatter over the sliced garlic. Drizzle with the remaining 30ml of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 minutes until the fennel begins to soften and take on some colour at the edges.
3. Remove the dish from the oven. Pour the crushed tinned tomatoes over the fennel and stir gently to combine. Scatter in the kalamata olives. Return to the oven for a further 8 minutes.
4. While the tomato base finishes, pat the prawns dry with paper towel and toss them with the lemon zest, dried oregano, a pinch of salt, and a grind of black pepper.
5. Remove the baking dish from the oven and nestle the seasoned prawns into the tomato and fennel mixture in a single layer. Crumble the feta evenly over the top. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the prawns are just cooked through and the feta has softened and taken on a little colour.
6. Remove from the oven and squeeze the lemon juice over the dish. Scatter the chopped parsley and reserved fennel fronds over the top. Serve directly from the baking dish with crusty sourdough or cooked brown rice to catch the juices.

Batch cooking tip

• Pre-roast the fennel and tomato base up to two days ahead and refrigerate it in the baking dish covered. When ready to serve, bring the base back to temperature in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes, then add the raw seasoned prawns and feta and bake as directed. This keeps the prawns from overcooking when reheating. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat gently rather than at high heat.