Fish

Crispy sea bass recipe with beetroot purée

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Ingredients

  • 350g beetroot, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 30-40ml red wine vinegar, to taste
  • 300ml double cream
  • 6 baby potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp sumac powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika powder, smoked
  • 100g radishes, halved
  • 1 baby cucumber, thinly sliced, lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 bass fillets, skin on (approx. 100g each)
  • Lemon, halved, to serve
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Peel and cube the beetroot, then cook gently in some olive oil with a pinch of slat in a lidded saucepan until softened, stirring occasionally. This should take about 35 minutes. If you prefer a less caramelised flavour, wrap the beetroot in foil and roast in the oven.
  2. Blend the beetroot in a food processor and stir in the vinegar to taste. Add the cream and mix well. Keep warm. Meanwhile, soak the potatoes in cold water for about ten minutes to help remove some of the starch. Drain and dry them before gently sautéing in some olive oil for a few minutes until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and season well with salt, sumac and paprika.
  3. Heat a griddle pan until hot. Toss the radishes with a little olive oil and salt, then char until marked on one side with the pan lines. Remove and set aside.
  4. Toss the cucumber with the sesame seeds and sesame oil.
  5. Score the fish skin and brush with olive oil and season well all over. Place the fish skin-side down on the hot griddle pan and cook until starting to char nicely, for about four minutes. Gently flip the fish, turn off the heat and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.
  6. Remove from the pan and serve with the purée, potatoes and some ribbons of sesame cucumber. Give a final squeeze of lemon juice.

Note: Use ready-cooked beetroot in vinegar if you like. Just warm the beetroot before blitzing, reduce the amount of red wine vinegar in the purée and taste as you go.