Pan-Seared Wild Sea Bass...Pan-Seared Wild Sea Bass with Lemon-Verbena Tomato Consommé

A pristine, Michelin-caliber dish featuring crispy-skinned wild sea bass resting in a vibrant, chilled heirloom tomato consommé infused with fresh lemon verbena, finished with a crisp shaved fennel salad.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Purée the heirloom tomatoes in a blender with a pinch of salt. Pour the purée into a fine-mesh sieve lined with triple-layered cheesecloth suspended over a bowl. Allow the clear tomato consommé to drip through completely without pressing, preserving its clarity.

2. 02

   Transfer the clear tomato consommé to a small saucepan. Add the lemon verbena leaves and warm gently over low heat to 60°C (140°F). Hold for 10 minutes to infuse, then remove from heat, strain out the leaves, and chill the liquid in the refrigerator.

3. 03

   In a small bowl, toss the shaved fennel and radishes with the lemon juice, half of the olive oil, and a pinch of Maldon salt. Keep cold.

4. 04

   Pat the sea bass fillets completely dry with paper towels. Lightly score the skin and season both sides with Maldon sea salt. Heat the remaining olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

5. 05

   Place the fish fillets skin-side down in the hot pan. Press gently with a fish spatula for 30 seconds to prevent curling. Cook for 4 minutes until the skin is exceptionally crisp and golden, then flip and kiss the flesh side for 1 minute. Remove from heat immediately.

6. 06

   To assemble, pour the chilled lemon-verbena tomato consommé into the base of two shallow serving bowls. Place a sea bass fillet in the center of each bowl, crispy skin-side up. Top with a delicate nest of the shaved fennel salad and garnish with microgreens.