Saffron-Poached Sea Bass with...Saffron-Poached Sea Bass with Fennel Velouté and Bottarga Crumble

A refined Mediterranean masterpiece featuring succulent sea bass infused with Iranian saffron, served over a silky fennel puree and finished with the briny depth of grated Sardinian bottarga.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To create the Fennel Velouté: In a small saucepan, sauté half the minced shallots and the sliced fennel in 10g of butter until translucent. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the cream and half the saffron; simmer on low heat for 15 minutes until fennel is completely soft.

2. 02

   Transfer the fennel mixture to a high-speed blender. Process until ultra-smooth. Pass through a fine-mesh chinois (sieve) into a clean pan. Season with white pepper and keep warm over a very low flame.

3. 03

   For the Sea Bass: Lightly score the skin of the fillets. Season the flesh side with sea salt. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place fish skin-side down, pressing firmly for 30 seconds to ensure even contact for a crisp skin.

4. 04

   Once the skin is golden and crisp (about 4 minutes), flip the fillets. Add the remaining butter, saffron, and tomatoes to the pan. Baste the fish with the foaming saffron butter for 2 minutes until just opaque in the center.

5. 05

   Plating: Spoon a generous circle of the Fennel Velouté onto the center of warmed plates. Place the sea bass fillet atop the puree, skin-side up.

6. 06

   Arrange the blistered tomatoes around the fish. Using a microplane, grate fresh bottarga over the entire dish. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds and a final drizzle of the saffron butter from the pan.