Pan-Seared Wild Sea Bass...Pan-Seared Wild Sea Bass in Lemongrass-Kombu Dashi

A pristine fillet of wild sea bass served over a delicate, mineral-rich lemongrass-kombu dashi, topped with a crisp salad of shaved fennel, radish, and microgreens, finished with cold-pressed herb oil.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups of water with the kombu, bruised lemongrass, and sliced ginger. Bring to a bare simmer over low heat for 10 minutes to extract the delicate sea minerals and aromatics. Strain, season with a pinch of sea salt, and keep warm.

2. 02

   In a small bowl, gently toss the shaved fennel and radish with the yuzu juice and a tiny pinch of salt. Set aside to lightly macerate.

3. 03

   Steam the halved baby bok choy for 3 minutes until vibrant green and tender-crisp. Set aside.

4. 04

   Pat the sea bass skin completely dry with paper towels. Season both sides with sea salt and white pepper. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the fish skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for 10 seconds to ensure even skin contact. Sear for 4-5 minutes until the skin is exceptionally crispy. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until just translucent in the center.

5. 05

   To assemble, place two halves of steamed baby bok choy in the center of two shallow wide bowls. Rest the sea bass fillet, crispy skin-side up, on top of the bok choy.

6. 06

   Carefully pour the hot lemongrass-kombu broth around the base of the fish. Garnish the top of each fillet with the shaved fennel-radish salad and microgreens. Drizzle a few drops of the remaining olive oil directly into the broth before serving.