♥︎Sea bass fillet with tomato & caper salsa

For ➍ 

4 large sea bass fillets with skin

1 fennel bulb,  4 slices of ½ cm, keep the fennel tops aside

2 tomatoes on the vine, peeled, without seeds, cut into cubes

4 tbs capers

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 handful of fresh thyme

6 tbs good olive oil

1 tbs lime zest

1 handful of watercress

pepper and salt

Fry the fennel, garlic and thyme in some olive oil until al dente.

For the salsa, mix the rest of the olive oil, capers, lime zest and tomato together and season with some salt and pepper.

Pat the pieces of sea bass fillet dry with kitchen paper and mark the skin of the fillets lightly with a small knife.

Fry the fish in a hot pan with a non-stick coating until nicely browned on the skin side, for about 3 to 4 m, turn off the heat and leave the fish in the pan for another 1 m.

Serve the fish skin side up together with the fennel, salsa and watercress.

Season everything with some coarse pepper and sea salt and the fennel tops.

Serve with fried potatoes.

Whitefish with samphire & Jerusalem artichokes salad

For ➍
4 small whitefish fillets Pieterman, golden bream or sea bass
0.4 bag of mesclun lettuce
samphire or lamb's lettuce
2 Jerusalem artichokes
hazelnuts
walnuts
butter
pepper & salt
for vinaigrette:
1 dl olive oil
0.2 dl nut oil
1 cl sherry vinegar;
lemon juice

Clean the fish.
Cook the samphire in butter for 2 m.
Mix vinaigrette with 1 dl olive oil, 20 cl nut oil, 1 cl sherry vinegar and lemon juice.
Peel Jerusalem artichokes and cut them into wafer-thin slices with the mandolin and marinate in the vinaigrette.
Roast hazelnuts and walnuts with a little butter in the oven and chop coarsely afterwards.
Arrange salad, warmed samphire,  and nuts on a plate.
Season fish with pepper and salt. Fry on the skin side. Must be practically completely white. Place on top of the green mixture, skin side up. 

Finish with the Jerusalem artichoke vinaigrette.

Bass with Jerusalem artichoke & samphire

For ➍
1 kg Jerusalem artichoke
800 g new potatoes
160 g samphire
500 g bass fillet (with skin if possible)*
2 lemons**
40 cl cream**
½ cube fish broth (optional)**
butter
olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Wash the potatoes and cut them in half. You can leave the skin on. Put them in a large, wide baking dish or baking tray, pour in a few tbs of olive oil and put them in the oven for 25 m. After 15 m, turn the potatoes over.
Wash the Jerusalem artichokes and cut them into approximately the same size as the new potatoes. If they are nice and fresh you don't have to peel them. Otherwise use a peeler.
Scrub the lemons clean and grate the peel off.
Place the bass fillets on some kitchen paper to drain.
Clean the samphire by cutting away dry or hard pieces at the ends.
(If the potatoes don't get a bit of a tan after 25 m, leave them in the oven for another 10 m.) Then add the Jerusalem artichoke and mix well. Add some oil if necessary. Then put it back in the oven for another 15 m.
{Pre-heat the grill pan. Put the cream in a saucepan, bring to the boil and let it boil down in a few m. Add the fish stock, or just some salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon zest. Taste and add some extra lemon juice if necessary. Finish the sauce by  beating in a few cubes of butter so that the sauce thickens and shines.} / For a light alternative: see lower/
Pat the bass dry and place it face down in the hot grill pan. Let it bake for 2 to 3 m, so that nice grill marks appear on the fish and the skin becomes crispy. Gently turn the fillets over and let them cook for a maximum of 2 m. Be careful not to leave the fillets in the pan for too long. You prefer them to be just cooked, so that the fine meat is a little translucent white and wonderfully soft and juicy.
Meanwhile, melt some butter in a large frying pan and fry the samphire over medium-high heat for a few m until it is al dente.
Divide the Jerusalem artichoke and the new potatoes between four plates. Place the bass fillets on top and season with a lot of salt and pepper.
/alternative to sauce/ {Spread 1 ts light cream over each fillet, sprinkle with some lemon juice and grated citrus peel}. Sprinkle the parsley on top and place the samphire next to it. When using the cream sauce, pour the cream sauce on the other side of the plate or serve it in a sauce bow.

*Use another white fish. Sea bass is a firmer alternative.
**Use smaller quantities when going for ta lighter alternative. See recipe.

Steamed bass & pak choi

For ➋
small piece of ginger, peeled & sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
3 scallions, finely sliced
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
splash of sherry or sake (optional)
2 x 140 g fillets sea bass
2 heads pak choi, quartered

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients, except the fish and the pak choi, together to make a soy mix.
Line one tier of a two-tiered bamboo steamer loosely with foil. Lay the fish, skin side up, on the foil and spoon over the soy mix. Place the fish over simmering water and throw the pak choi into the second tier and cover it with a lid. Alternatively, add the pak choi to the fish layer after 2 m of cooking – the closer the tier is to the steam, the hotter it is.
Leave everything to steam for 6-8 m until the pak choi has wilted and the fish is cooked.
Divide the greens between two plates, then carefully lift out the fish. Lift the foil up and drizzle the tasty juices back over the fish.

Cod with soy balsamic glaze

For ➋
400 g white meat fish (cod, halibut, striped bass)
2 ts vegetable oil
2 ts sesame oil
17 grams ginger (1.25 cm piece)
8 g garlic (1 large clove)
45 g scallion white part only (3 scallions)
1 tbs Shaoxing wine (or any dry rice wine)
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs balsamico
coriander (for garnish)

Lightly salt and pepper the fish.
Heat 2 ts of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the fish, flipping halfway through.*
When the fish is cooked through, plate it and then wipe out the pan.
Turn the heat up to high and add the sesame oil to the pan along with the ginger, garlic and scallions. Saute until very fragrant and the aromatics start to brown.
Add the Shaoxing, soy sauce and balsamico and boil until the sauce starts to thicken.
Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with cilantro.

*Alternatively, steam the fish.

Fennel & blood orange salad

For ➌
4 tbs hazelnuts or walnuts
1 medium-large fennel bulb, leaves and stems trimmed off
salt & freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
2 large blood oranges (or any orange* or grapefruit*)
1 small shallot, peeled and cut into paper-thin slices
10 mint leaves
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 ts lime zest

Place nuts in dry skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, to toast. Let cool. If using hazelnuts, roll them around in a dishcloth (or, if cool enough, in your hands), discarding any loose skins. Coarsely chop nuts. Set aside. (Add some walnut oil for toasting*).
Slice about 1 cm from bottom of fennel and discard. Slice fennel very thinly on a mandoline, or with a knife, starting with flat bottom side. Toss in serving bowl with salt, pepper and lemon juice. (Add a drop of Pernod)*.
Trim all peel and pits from oranges. Holding peeled fruit over bowl containing fennel, use sharp knife to cut sections from membrane and let them drop into bowl. Squeeze remaining membrane over bowl to sprinkle salad with remaining juice, and discard membrane. Add shallots, mint leaves, olive oil and reserved nuts and toss gently. Sprinkle with lime zest.
Serve a a salad or as a side dish to smoked salmon or grilled fish fillets.
Leftovers can be served a day later.

*Optional.

The fennel trick here is to shave it thinly and toss it with lemon juice and salt, it’s licorice vibe is neutralized, leaving just the refreshing part.

Miso & soy sea bass

For ➍
5 tbs sake
5 tbs mirin
3 tbs soy sauce
30 g brown sugar
70 g cup miso paste
4 (100-150 g) fillets fresh sea bass, about 2.5 cm thick
2 tbs chopped green onions

Whisk together the sake, mirin, soy sauce, brown sugar, and miso paste in a bowl to make the marinade.
Place the sea bass in a large sealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the sea bass. Chill in refrigerator 3 to 6 h. Arrange the fillets on a baking sheet. Discard the marinade.
Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 15 cm from the heat source. Prop the oven door to remain slightly ajar.
Bake the sea bass under the broiler until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 7 to 9 m. Sprinkle with chopped green onions to serve.
Serve with white rice and pak choi (Chinese cabbage).

Sea bass with porcini & cauliflower

For ➍
4 sea bass fillets with skin, each 200 g (or redfish or cod)
125 g dried porcini mushrooms
1 small cauliflower (or broccoli)
butter
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 slice smoked ham
1 chopped shallot
1 finely crushed clove of garlic
½ glass of dry white wine
2.5 dl fish stock
1.25 dl cream
thyme, bay

Soak the porcini mushrooms in water and let it drain thoroughly. Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil with the chopped shallot , garlic and chopped ham.
Deglaze with the white wine. Add the fish stock , thyme , bay leaves and cream. Reduce to half . Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Grind the cooked sauce in a blender. Press them through a fine sieve.*
Divide the cauliflower into florets. Boil briefly in water and cook them further in some butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Steam (or poach ) the sea bass fillets with the skin side down. Count about 10 m.**
Divide the porcini on 4 warm plates. Place the fish on top. Arrange the cauliflower florets around and spoon the sauce over the fish. Garnish with parsley, some dried rose berries and a cooked crayfish.

*Or serve the mushrooms without grinding.
**Or cook in the microwave: 1 m/100 g.