Wild Sea Bass with...Wild Sea Bass with Saffron-Fennel Velouté and Bottarga Emulsion

A refined Mediterranean masterpiece featuring crispy-skinned wild sea bass resting on a silky saffron-infused fennel purée, finished with a bright lemon-bottarga emulsion and blistered heirloom tomatoes.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream and saffron threads to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.

2. 02

   Sauté the sliced fennel in 15ml of olive oil over medium heat until translucent but not browned. Pour in the saffron cream and simmer until the fennel is completely tender (about 15 minutes).

3. 03

   Transfer the fennel mixture to a high-speed blender. Blend until ultra-smooth, then pass through a fine-mesh chinois. Season with salt and keep warm.

4. 04

   Score the skin of the sea bass fillets lightly. Season with Fleur de Sel. In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add 20ml of olive oil. Place the fish skin-side down and press gently with a weight for 2 minutes to ensure perfectly crispy skin.

5. 05

   Flip the fish and add 20g of butter to the pan. Baste the fish with the foaming butter for 1 minute until just translucent in the center. Remove and rest.

6. 06

   In the same pan, quickly blister the cherry tomatoes for 60 seconds until the skins just begin to pop.

7. 07

   To make the emulsion, whisk the grated bottarga, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil until aerated and combined.

8. 08

   To plate: Spoon a generous circle of the saffron-fennel velouté in the center. Place the fish atop the puree. Arrange tomatoes around the plate, drizzle with the bottarga emulsion, and garnish with fresh dill fronds.