Pan-Seared Sea Bass with...Pan-Seared Sea Bass with Saffron-Fennel Emulsion & Sea Asparagus

Crispy skin-on wild sea bass served over a velvety saffron-infused fennel velouté, paired with tender charred baby leeks and crisp blanched sea asparagus.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a small heatproof bowl, steep the saffron threads in warm dry white wine for 10 minutes to draw out color and fragrance.

2. 02

   Melt 30g of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced shallots and sliced fennel, cooking slowly for 8 minutes until soft and translucent without taking on color.

3. 03

   Pour in the saffron-steeped wine and reduce heat to medium, cooking until liquid reduces by half. Add the fish stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

4. 04

   Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender. Add heavy cream and blend until completely smooth. While blending, drop in 30g of cold cubed butter to emulsify. Pass through a fine chinoise sieve, season with salt, white pepper, and a dash of lemon juice. Keep warm.

5. 05

   Blanch sea asparagus in boiling unsalted water for 45 seconds, then immediately plunge into ice water. Drain well. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over high heat and char the baby leeks until tender with light blistered marks.

6. 06

   Pat the sea bass fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Lightly score the skin 3 times across each fillet and season generously with Maldon sea salt.

7. 07

   Heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy stainless steel skillet over high heat until shimmering. Place fillets skin-side down, pressing firmly with a spatula for 10 seconds to prevent curling. Cook skin-side down for 4 minutes until gold and crisp.

8. 08

   Flip the fillets, add the remaining 40g butter to the pan along with lemon zest, and baste the fish continuously with foaming butter for 2 minutes until opaque and just cooked through.

9. 09

   To plate: Mirror the center of warmed wide-rimmed bowls with the golden saffron-fennel emulsion. Arrange charred baby leeks and sea asparagus, then nestle the pan-seared sea bass skin-side up on top. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.