Wild Mediterranean Sea Bass...Wild Mediterranean Sea Bass with Saffron-Orange Shellfish Emulsion and Charred Fennel

Crisp-skinned Mediterranean loup de mer served alongside a velvet saffron-orange fumet, caramelized fennel mousseline, and a fragrant Castelvetrano olive and caper leaf relish.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the fennel mousseline: Place half of the quartered fennel in a small saucepan with 30g of butter, a pinch of salt, and 50ml of water. Cover with a cartouche and simmer over medium-low heat until completely tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a high-speed blender and process until mirror-smooth; pass through a fine chinois and keep warm.

2. 02

   Char the remaining fennel: Slice the remaining fennel into delicate wedges. Heat 15ml of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sear the wedges until deeply caramelized and tender-crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Season with sea salt and set aside.

3. 03

   Make the olive-caper relish: In a small bowl, combine the finely diced Castelvetrano olives, caper berries, half of the orange zest, 20ml of extra virgin olive oil, and finely snipped fennel fronds. Season lightly and rest at room temperature.

4. 04

   Craft the saffron-orange emulsion: In a sauté pan, sweat the shallots in 10g of butter until translucent. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce by three-quarters. Add the shellfish stock, toasted saffron, and orange juice. Simmer gently until reduced by half. Over very low heat, mount the emulsion with the remaining 60g of cold cubed butter using an immersion blender until pale, glossy, and emulsified. Strain and keep warm.

5. 05

   Cook the sea bass: Score the sea bass skins with shallow crosshatches and pat thoroughly dry. Heat the remaining olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the fish and press the fillets skin-side down with a chef's spatula for 90 seconds to prevent curling. Lower heat to medium and cook until skin is impeccably crisp and golden (about 4 minutes). Flip for the final 45 seconds to finish gently.

6. 06

   Assembly: Spoon a smooth sweep of fennel mousseline onto the base of warm wide-rimmed bowls. Arrange the charred fennel wedges and place the sea bass fillet skin-side up. Spoon the warm saffron-orange emulsion around the base. Crown the fish with the olive-caper relish and fresh sea fennel sprigs; finish with flakes of Maldon sea salt.