MEDITERRANEAN SEA BASS
- Potatoes crusted Sea Bass with beurre blanc sauce -
I chose Mediterranean Sea Bass because it’s a wonderful fish. Firm white, moist and buttery with a pleasant mild yet sweet flavor. In this recipe the fish is quickly seared with thin sliced potatoes and served with leeks, watercress beurre blanc sauce.
If you can’t find Sea Bass, look for a fresh medium firm white fish and in season.
*Bar, Loup De Mer in French
*Branzino in Italian* Lubina in Spanish
*Hata in Japanese
What you need
Crusted Sea Bass
4- 7 oz Sea Bass filets, skin removed
8 -10 Fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Thyme stems
Freshly ground pepper
Beurre blanc sauce
2 leeks, white parts only, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoon Pastis Ricard (Anise and licorice-flavored aperitif)
Zest of 1 lemon
8 Tablespoon (1 stick) of Unsalted butter, slightly soften
1/2 Teaspoon of thyme (strip thyme leaves from the stems)
6 oz Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc beer
1 cup Watercress
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish
Micro greens for garnish
Lemon wedges
How to make it
Season filets with salt and pepper all over and set aside.
Using a mandolin or a sharp chef’s knife, slice the potatoes slowly, paper thin, into rounds.
Gently place potato over the sea bass (skin side), overlapping slices that replicates fish scales.
Repeat, process with other filets.
Brush all over the potato scales with melted butter.
In a pre heated large sauté pan, add olive oil over moderately high heat. Then with a spatula carefully place filets with the potatoes side down, one at a time, for 2-3 minutes until the potatoes are nice and crispy golden. Carefully turn fish over, add butter and thyme to finish cooking 2 -3 minutes longer. Use a spoon to baste (butter bath) the filet. Remove crusted sea bass from the pan and transfer to a tray and keep warm.
In a small pan, gently heat the leeks, lemon zest and Pastis for a few minutes. Then add thyme leaves with a knob of butter until soft, about 5 min. Stir in the beer and simmer for about 8 min. Add the butter in small pieces, beating vigorously with a whisk about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add watercress and turn off the heat.
Remove watercress from the sauce and place it in the center of a plate. And lay the fish right on top. And with a spoon puddle the beurre blanc and leeks around the Crusted Sea Bass.
To finish, garnish with micro greens and a wedge of lemon.
Suggeste pairing this dish with white Cave de Pomerol Picpoul
NOTE
I first brine the fillets with salt and sugar for about 20 min
If using mandolin be super careful
You can use 1/4 cup of dry white wine instead of beer
Substitute Ricard for Pernod, Ouzo or Sambuca
