Pan Fried Sea Bass with a Saffron Sauce

Preparation time: 30 Cooking time: 20-30 Serves: 6

Description

Ingredients

Sea Bass:
6x 150g-200g Sea Bass fillets, each sliced at an angle width wise into three equal pieces
Juice and zest of half and orange
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, bruised
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil to cook
Sauce:
300ml fish stock
200ml noilly prat or dry white wine
100ml double cream
1 pinch saffron
4 plum tomatoes or vine ripened tomatoes, concasse (deseeded and diced)
2 tbsp shredded basil leaves
To serve:
Crushed New Potatoes (see recipe), with a handful of watercress mixed in rocket

Method

Sea Bass: Place the orange juice and zest, thyme, garlic and olive oil in a large bowl and toss the Sea Bass in the marinade. Allow the John Dory to marinate covered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Sauce: Pour the stock and wine into a saucepan and bring it to the boil then reduce it to simmer and leave it to reduce by two thirds. Add the double cream and stir in the saffron return to a simmer and reduce by a third so that you have a sauce consistency. Remove the sauce from the stove and keep warm until ready to serve. You may cover with a kartouche (grease proof paper with butter) or a layer of melted butter to avoid the sauce from having a skin. When ready to serve stir in the tomato concasse and the shredded basil.

To cook Sea Bass: Coat a large frying pan with olive oil and place over a high heat. Remove the Sea Bass from the marinade and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the Sea Bass skin side down in the hot pan, allow to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, so that they are golden and cooked through. Serve hot.

To Serve: Place a handful of rocket in the centre of each plate or bowl and top with some crushed new potatoes with watercress. Arrange the Sea Bass fillets on the potato (3 pieces each), pour the sauce around the plate or bowl. Serve at once.