Now On Tumblr ;

Monday 8 November 2010

Sea Bass in two ways, with linguine & Sauce Vierge (Λαβρακι με ζυμαρικα)

Sea Bass & in two ways, with Linguine & Sauce Vierge


20 minutes cooking & prep. time, easily.

Portions below for 1 person;

Sauce vierge;
ripe cherry tomatoes, around 1 good handful per person.
3 tbsp good oilive oil
pinch oregano
3 leaves fresh sage
pinch fresh rosemary
1/2 lemon juiced
1 small baby courgette, or the equivalent
1 banana shallot
1/2 glass dry white wine
pinch red pepper flakes
pinch capers in salt (de-salted in some water)

You need 2 small bass fillets for each person, half of which you ll skin (or ask your fishmonger to do this) and half will stay skin-on, but with the skin scored. Those will be the crispy ones.

-First, chop the cherry tomatoes in tiny bits and rinse in a sieve to remove most seeds. Chop the shallots too, and the courgettes, really fine thin little squares.
Mix in a bowl with some salt, pepper, lemon, oregano, rosemary, 1tbsp of good olive oil and leave, to sit, for around an hour. If you dont have much time then even 10 minutes is better than none.
The tomatoes will cool down and their juices will mix with the shallots and garlic, the oil gets infused too.

Now you can skin half the fillets, by putting them skin down on a chooping board, and sliding a sharp small knife behind them, cutting while holding the skin down firmly. This is easier than one may think.

-chop the skinned bass in 2cm squares.
-Score the skin of the other fillets, and salt it, let it sit for 10 minutes at least and pad dry/ removing most of the salt. This helps the skin crisp up and gets rid of some of the water in the fish.



-When ready to eat;
- Cook your linguine until almost done. They ll cook more in the sauce.

- Heat the garlic & red pepper flakes in some oil. When it starts browning, take the garlic out. Then quickly fry the tomato mixture, not letting it brown, stirring. When dry add the wine, until it evaporates. Add the diced fish and cook for 2 mins or so, stirring. Set aside.

Heat some more oil, and add the skin-on fillets, skin down. Press down lightly and cook for very little, just as you see the top of the flesh turning opaque/white, take off the heat.

Keep warm in an oven at 100 or less, if you d like. Stir the pasta in the tomato/bass sauce, and serve with the crisped fillets o top or on the side. Serve with some fresh breadcrumbs on the pasta and some chopped parsley sage & raw olive oil, making sure nothing moist goes on the crisped fillets as it will soften them .