Sea Bass With Basil Sauce Recipes

SEA BASS WITH BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to broil.
• Puree first 4 ingredients and 4 tablespoons oil in processor. Over medium heat bring stock and next 5 ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan. Add basil puree; stir just to heat through. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, place fish on greased or foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. On top rack broil fish until opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side.
• Spoon sauce onto plates. Top with fish.

SEA BASS WITH TOMATO COULIS, BASIL AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Halve tomatoes lengthwise, and over a strainer set in a bowl, squeeze to remove juice and seeds. Place tomatoes and strained juice in the bowl of a blender along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the vinegar. Blend to a fine puree.
• Cut tough stems from asparagus, and discard. With a vegetable scraper, peel asparagus, starting about two inches from tips. Rinse and drain. Cook in boiling salted water for about 6 minutes. Drain immediately, and cool in ice water. Remove, and set aside.
• With a rubber spatula, push tomato mixture through a fine sieve, to yield about 2 cups of liquid. Place tomato juice in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Add basil, remove from heat, cover and let stand in a warm place.
• Cut three 1/4-inch slices from the flower end of each asparagus. Place a tablespoon of butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus tips and the rest of the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Cook briefly or until just done. Remove asparagus from pan, and keep warm.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over high heat. Season fish well, and place in pan, skin side down, cooking for about 1 1/2 minutes a side, or until skin is nicely browned. Flip gently, cover, and remove from heat. Fish will continue to cook.
• To serve, remove basil from tomato sauce. Distribute sauce evenly over four warm plates. Place fish, skin side up, over sauce. To arrange asparagus on each plate, distribute small pieces around edge; place two large asparagus pieces alongside fish and lay two more long pieces over them in a criss-cross pattern.

PAN-FRIED SEA BASS WITH RATATOUILLE & BASIL

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and briefly fry 8 basil leaves just for a moment until they crisp up, then lift out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and get a bowl of iced water ready. Blanch the remaining basil leaves for 5 secs. Using a pair of tongs, lift out the leaves and plunge them into iced water so that they cool quickly and keep their colour.
• Once cool, lift the leaves out and squeeze to remove any excess water.
• Add the blanched basil leaves to a food blender and pour in 60ml of olive oil. to a pourable sauce, adding more oil if needed, then put in a bowl and set aside.
• For the ratatouille, halve the pepper, then deseed and slice into thin strips. Cut the courgette into quarters lengthways and slice. Slice the aubergine into thick rounds, then cut each one into strips.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the cumin and garlic, and cook for 30 secs. Tip all the veg into the pan, season and sweat for 1 min. Add 100ml water and cook on a high heat for 4 mins. Adjust the seasoning, adding the sugar if needed.
• With a sharp knife, score each fish fillet with small slits through the skin at regular intervals.
• To cook the fish, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan until hot. Season the fillets and place, skin-side down, in the pan. Cook until the skin is golden and crisp, and the flesh is changing colour.
• Turn the fillets over and cook for 1 min, remove from the heat, then sprinkle over the lemon juice. Divide the ratatouille between the plates and top with the sea bass. Drizzle with basil oil, a little extra virgin olive oil and serve with crisp basil leaves.