Black Sea Bass En Paupiette Recipes

SEA BASS IN PAPILLOTE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Pat fish dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange fillets, skin sides down, in 1 layer in center of foil on baking sheet and slide 2 lemon slices under each fillet. Arrange 2 thyme sprigs on top of each fillet.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, about 1 minute. Stir in capers.
• Spoon hot tomato mixture over fish, then cover with another sheet of foil, tenting it slightly over fish, and crimp edges together tightly to seal.
• Bake until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness of fish); check by removing from oven and carefully lifting up a corner of top sheet of foil, pulling up sides of bottom sheet to keep liquid from running out. If fish is not cooked through, reseal foil and continue to bake, checking every 3 minutes.
• Transfer fillets with lemon slices to plates using a spatula (be careful not to tear foil underneath) and spoon tomatoes and juices over top. Serve immediately, discarding thyme before eating.

PAUPIETTE OF SEA BASS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the wine, shallots and thyme and simmer, uncovered, until the wine is almost evaporated, about 45 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream and set aside.
• Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes lengthwise into paper-thin slices. Place the slices in a large bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter and season lightly with salt. Season the fish fillets with salt and shape them, tucking in thin portions as necessary, to form compact rectangles.
• On a square of baking parchment or wax paper, overlap the narrow ends of 2 potato slices by 1 inch. Lay 2 more slices down in the same manner, overlapping the sides of the first 2 by 1/2 inch. Repeat until you have 4 rows of slices. Place each fillet lengthwise across a row of potatoes. Wrap the potato slices around the fillets, using the parchment paper to help lift the slices. Refrigerate.
• In a small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Season the leeks with salt and pepper and set aside to keep warm.
• Over a low flame, bring the reduced wine and cream to a simmer and whisk in the butter chunks, 1 at a time. Remove from the flame, season with salt, pepper and the sugar and strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Return the sauce to the pan and set aside to keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a large nonstick skillet on top of the stove over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of clarified butter and the wrapped fish fillets, seam sides down. Saute, turning once, until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Check the fish for doneness, and transfer the skillet to the oven if the fish needs to cook longer. Serve the fish on a bed of leeks with the sauce spooned around. Garnish with chives.

BLACK SEA BASS WITH CORN AND JUMBO LUMP CRAB SAUTE

Steps:

• Score the skin side of the sea bass fillet (make a few small slit marks in the skin with a sharp knife). Season the fish with salt and pepper.
• Preheat a medium saute pan over high heat and add 2 ounces of olive oil. When the oil is smoking, add the fish, skin side down. Reduce heat to medium and press fillet with a spatula to crisp the skin. When the skin is browned, flip fish. (The total cooking time for the fish should be 5 minutes). Remove from pan and keep warm.
• Add the remaining 2 ounces olive oil to the saute pan. Add the corn, onion, red pepper, and poblano pepper and saute for 1 minute. Add the crabmeat, chives, and chopped thyme, stirring to blend. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add the chicken stock and whisk in the butter to form a sauce. Reduce until sauce consistency.
• Arrange the sauteed vegetable mixture in a large serving bowl. Top with the warm bass fillet and roasted fingerling potatoes. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

BLACK SEA BASS IN SPRING VEGETABLE BROTH

Steps:

• Make the aioli: Mince the garlic, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and mash with the flat side of a chef's knife to make a paste. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg yolk and whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, then the vegetable oil, whisking constantly until smooth; whisk in 1 teaspoon water to loosen. Cover and refrigerate the aioli until ready to use.
• Make the broth: Trim the spring onions to about 6 inches; transfer the tops to a large saucepan (set the bulbs aside). Trim the fennel and thinly slice; transfer 1 cup fennel fronds to the saucepan (set the sliced fennel aside). Add the celery, carrot, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, peppercorns and 8 cups water to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to medium and cook, 15 minutes.
• Remove the fava beans from their pods. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook 1 minute; drain and rinse under cold water. Slip off the skins; set the beans aside.
• Strain the vegetable broth into a wide pot. Add the potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the reserved spring onion bulbs and the tomatoes to the broth; simmer 5 minutes.
• Make the fish: Score each fish fillet crosswise 3 or 4 times on the skin side (do not cut through to the flesh). Season the flesh side with salt. Add the fish to the pot; add the fava beans and reserved sliced fennel, cover and cook until the fish is just opaque, about 6 minutes.
• Divide the potatoes among shallow bowls; top each with a fish fillet, then divide the broth and vegetables among the bowls. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and top each with a spoonful of aioli. Serve with bread and the remaining aioli.

BLACK SEA BASS CRUDO

Steps:

• Divide the sea bass onto 4 chilled plates (arrange the slices in a loose fan on each plate). Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt over the bass. Turn a small amount of fresh black pepper over the bass. Squeeze a few drops of lime juice on each plate. Top each plate with 1/4 of the pine nuts. Drizzle the olive oil over the fish and serve immediately.