FOOD: Recipes serve four.
ROAST SEA BASS WITH GREEN BEANS AND FRESH TOMATO SALSA
4 sea bass, with scales and insides intact
enough rough sea salt to cover the fish (you will need about 1kg for four sea bass)
4 tomatoes
1 tbsp of finely chopped shallot
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful of finely chopped basil
300g French beans
1 lemon, quartered
Preheat the oven to gas seven/220 degrees. It really needs to be good and hot. Scatter a layer of salt over a shallow roasting tray, arrange the fish on top so they are not touching and cover with the remaining salt. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
To make the salsa, quarter the tomatoes, remove and discard the seeds and dice the flesh. Combine with the shallot, balsamic, olive oil and, just before serving, the basil and a seasoning of salt and pepper.
Blanch the beans in salted boiling water until just tender and toss with a little olive oil.
Crack open the salt crust on the fish - it should come away easily in chunks - and peel open the skin. You need to try and extract the flesh without it coming into contact with the salt. Serve with the beans, the tomato salsa and a wedge of lemon.
GRILLED SEA BREAM AND GREEN SAUCE
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped and mashed together with a little salt
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
10 gherkins, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
4 sea bream, cleaned and scaled
1 lemon, quartered
Combine the parsley, mint, garlic, anchovy fillets, mustard and gherkins and enough oil to form a loose sauce. Season with pepper and check for salt. The garlic and anchovy may have contributed sufficient punch.
Preheat the grill. Slash the side of the fish twice on each side and grill for five minutes or until the flesh in the centre just comes away from the bone. Grill on the other side for four minutes, remove and allow to rest for two minutes.
Spoon the green sauce over the fish and serve with a lemon quarter.
GRILLED SEA BASS, FENNEL PURÉE AND GRILLED RADICCHIO
4 heads of fennel
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
juice of half a lemon
Tabasco
4 sea bass slashed to the bone three times on each side
1 head radicchio, trimmed and quartered - if not cut into eight - so the stems holds each quarter together
Finely slice the fennel and garlic and place in a saucepan along with the lemon juice, four tablespoons of olive oil and a generous dash of Tabasco and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with a close-fitting lid and simmer gently for one hour, stirring occasionally. Liquidise to a smooth purée. Check the seasoning.
Preheat the grill. Brush the radicchio with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place under the grill and cook for five minutes, or until just wilted. Turn over and repeat on the other cut side. Set aside in a warm place.
Brush the fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for five to six minutes each side, or until cooked.
Reheat the purée and spoon on to four plates, lay the radicchio on top and the sea bass on top of that. Drizzle olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper and serve.
STEAMED SEA BASS, BOK CHOI AND SOY
2 or 4 sea bass, depending on size
8 small bok choi
vegetable oil
2 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion
1 tbsp medium dry sherry
2 tbsp soy sauce
150ml chicken stock
In a wok or large saucepan stir-fry the bok choi for five minutes, or until wilted, in three tablespoons of vegetable oil. Remove and set aside. In the remaining oil caramelise the sugar until pale brown. Add the garlic and spring onion and cook for one minute, or until the vegetables are just colouring. Add the sherry, soy, stock and return the bok choi to the pan. Place the fish on top of the vegetable mixture, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Serve with extra soy for seasoning.