Pan seared white sea bass recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 1 pound cracked crab shells, or shrimp shells
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 plum (roma) tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large bunch lemon balm
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sake
• 4 cups (1 quart) water
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• 1 medium daikon radish, cut into 8 lengthwise ¼-inch-thick slices on a mandoline
• 8 ounces large cauliflower florets, sliced about ¹⁄₃ inch thick, so they look like flat trees
• 4 medium to large okra pods
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• 4 (4-ounce) skin-on white California sea bass fillets, or other skin-on white fish fillets
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
• 1 large sprig of fresh thyme
• Small nasturtium leaves, amaranth leaves, or small salad greens, for the finished dish
• Smoked coarse-ground or flaky sea salt, optional, for the finished dish

To Prepare the Court Bouillon
1. Warm the oil in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, ginger, and crab shells. Allow the ingredients to cook to a golden brown, to deepen their flavor, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, and lemon balm. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the mixture starts getting rather sticky.
3. Pour in the sake and reduce the mixture by half, about 3 more minutes.
4. Pour in the water, reduce the heat to a simmer, and reduce the liquid to about 2 cups, another 10 or so minutes.
5. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a piece of cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Strain the court bouillon through the sieve. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
To Prepare the Daikon Radish, Okra, and Cauliflower
6. Prepare an ice bath.
7. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the radish slices for about 30 seconds, remove them with a spider, and then shock them in the ice water.
8. Blanch the cauliflower slices for 1 minute, remove them with a spider, and then add them to the ice water.
9. Blanch the okra pods for 1 minute, remove them with a spider, and then add them to the ice water.
10. When the vegetables are cool, drain them.
11. Place the daikon in a small bowl. To it, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, chives, and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper.
12. Slice the okra pods lengthwise. Warm the other 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
13. Place the okra pods in the skillet, cut side down. Cook until the okra has developed some color, then remove with tongs and drain on paper towels.
14. Add the cauliflower to the same sauté pan, in batches if needed. Get some golden brown spots on the cauliflower.
15. Remove from the heat, and add the butter to the pan. As the butter melts, baste the cauliflower with the pan juices for 10 seconds. Tilt the pan a bit to be able to spoon up the buttery pan juices. Season with salt and pepper, and drain on paper towels.
To Cook the Sea Bass
16. On each sea bass fillet, cut 3 parallel slashes into the skin so the fillets don’t curl while cooking. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
17. Warm a 10- or 12-inch skillet over high heat.
18. Pour in the oil. Add the fillets, skin-side up first, and sear them for about 3 minutes on each side. The flesh side should be golden and the skin side brown and crisp.
19. Turn off the heat and add the butter and thyme to the skillet. As the butter melts, use a spoon to baste the fillets for 20 seconds with the pan juices. Tilt the skillet a bit to be able to spoon the buttery pan juices. Transfer the bass to paper towels to drain.
Putting it all Together
20. If you have 4 large shallow bowls, use them here to plate the dish. Rimmed plates are certainly fine though.
21. Reheat the court bouillon.
22. Lay 2 slices of radish crossways on a bowl. Place a sea bass fillet on the daikon. Curl the daikon up and over the fish on at least one side. Arrange okra and cauliflower trees around each fish fillet. Curl some of the daikon up around either a piece of okra or cauliflower. Pour the court bouillon around each fillet. Garnish with leaves and, if you wish, with smoked salt, and serve.