Roasted Sea Bass With Potatoes, Capers and Olives

London chef Ruth Rogers is culinary royalty. She and partner Rose Gray (who passed away last February), opened River Caf in 1987. The restaurant started as an employee cafe for her husband's architectural firm (Ms. Rogers is married to Lord Richard Rogers, who worked on the Centre Pompidou and the European Court of Human Rights), then opened to the public.

The restaurant's commitment to simple Italian cuisine made with fresh ingredients revolutionized English dining. It earned its first Michelin star the same year it opened. Kitchen alums include Jamie Oliver and April Bloomfield.

For her first Slow Food Fast dish, Ms. Rogers shares a recipe for roasted sea bass with potatoes, olives and capers. It represents the sort of rustic elegance that's come to define River Caf .

A native of Woodstock, N.Y., Ms. Rogers travels to Italy every two months. This particular recipe was inspired by a meal she and Ms. Gray enjoyed on the Tuscan coast years back. Done the Italian way (they altered the original only slightly by adding olives into the caper and thyme mix), it's served whole and presented simply at the table.

This time of year, Ms. Rogers says, sea bass is especially popular. While the restaurant will serve a large fish to a table of four, individual fish, which are easier to find, work just as well. Roasting them whole--bones, head and all--slows down the cooking and preserves texture and depth of flavor. Top off with a drizzle of good olive oil and a lemon wedge.