Sea Bass With Jerusalem Artichoke Purée Food

SEA BASS WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE PURéE

Steps:

• Heat an oven to 180˚C.
• For the Jerusalem artichoke purée, place the Jerusalem artichokes in a pan and add enough water to cover. Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add a pinch of salt and leave to cook slowly for an hour until the artichokes are tender (watch out below because you need to be making a jus at the same time). Once the artichokes are soft, drain well, and then place back in the pan with the double cream. Bring to the boil and reduce slightly. Season to taste and blend until smooth. If they are still a bit lumpy, pass them through a sieve. This can be done in advance, chilled and stored for a day or so, and reheated to serve. Otherwise, keep warm.
• For the red wine jus, place a large pan over a low heat. Add the red wine, thyme and shallots and cook until almost completely dry. Add the and reduce again until a syrup consistency is achieved. This takes about an hour to do, so it is helpful to do it along with the artichokes.
• Muddle up a head of garlic in your hands so the cloves separate but do not break. Wrap the garlic in foil with a little olive oil and place on a bed of sea salt on a baking tray. Place in the oven for 20 mins.
• For the sea bass, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the sea bass fillets, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is crispy (about 3 mins). Turn the fillets over, season, and cook for a 10 seconds or so, and then switch the heat off. The heat in the pan will finish the cooking.
• Meanwhile, heat the beans in a pan with the double cream until boiling. Remove from the heat and season a little.
• Pass the red wine jus through a sieve and set aside.
• To serve, arrange the beans in the centre of each plate and lay the fillets of sea bass on top. Drizzle the fish in the red wine jus and spoon the purée around the outside of each plate. Garnish with the roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and deep-fried rocket. Serve immediately.

SEA BASS WITH ASPARAGUS & JERSEY ROYALS

Steps:

• Put the egg yolks in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and the lemon zest and juice. Whisk to combine, then add the garlic and whisk again. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a mayonnaise and all the oil is used. Taste and add salt, white pepper and additional lemon juice, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill until required.
• Put the potatoes in a medium-sized pan, cover with lightly salted water, put on the lid and bring to the boil. Remove lid and cook until tender. Drain, toss with a drizzle of oil, set aside and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3-5 mins until tender. Drain, then drizzle with oil and set aside to keep warm.
• For the sea bass, heat the grill, pour 2 tbsp of the oil into a frying pan set over a medium heat, add the thyme and garlic, and cook for 1-2 mins. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper into the pan, add the fish, skin-side up, cook for 2-3 mins, then remove from the heat. Drizzle with the remaining oil, then cook under the grill for about 4 mins until the skin blisters and the fish is cooked through. Keep the fish warm while you finish the veg.
• Thickly slice the potatoes and arrange a layer in the middle of each of 4 dinner plates. Scatter the asparagus over the potatoes, squeeze over some lemon juice and finish with a grind of black pepper. Top each plate with a fillet of sea bass, finishing with a dollop of mayonnaise and the snipped chives.

SEA BASS & ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the couscous following pack instructions, then mix with the artichokes. Whisk the mustard with the oil from the artichoke pack, along with ½ tbsp olive oil, then add it to the couscous. Toss the herbs into the salad, along with the lemon zest and juice, some seasoning and the watercress.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the sea bass skin, then place it, skin-side down, in the oil. Use the back of a fish slice to hold the fish down, as it will start to curl up a bit. Once the flesh is nearly all opaque, around 3 mins, flip over and cook for 1 min more. Divide the salad between two plates and place the fish on top.