Ingredients / serves 6

Sea bass

3 fillets of Sea bass pin boned and decaled

Herb Potato

10 large Potatoes

50g Butter

25ml Cream

½ Bunch of Chives, finely chopped

½ Bunch Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Fennel Ribbons

2 Fennel Bulbs

Beurre Blanc

1 tsp Olive oil

2 shallots, peeled & finely chopped

1 Bay leaf

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp White wine

75ml Cream

200g Cold unsalted butter, diced and kept in the fridge

1 tbsp chopped Chervil


Wild Sea Bass with Herb Potato and Fennel ribbons served with a Chervil Beurre Blanc

Peel the potatoes and boil them until soft. Dry out to remove any excess moisture and add the butter and cream. Mash with a potato ricer to give a smoother texture. Season with salt and pepper and then add the herbs. Cover and leave aside.

For the Beurre Blanc heat the oil in a saucepan then add the shallots over a low heat until soft but not brown. Add the bay leaf, lemon juice, zest and white wine. Increase the heat and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce by half again. Remove the pan from the heat and using a balloon whisk, add the butter one cube at a time. When all the butter has been incorporated add the chervil. The sauce will keep for up to 1 hour.

Take the core out of the fennel bulbs and slice the fennel very thinly using a Japanese mandolin or a very sharp knife. Cook the ribbons in boiling salted water until tender. When cooked remove from the water and drop in the chives and season. Drizzle a little olive oil over to keep them from oxidizing.

Score the skin of sea bass with a very sharp knife to stop the skin from shrivelling. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place skin side down on a hot pan and cook for 2 minutes depending on the thickness. Carefully turn over the fillets and cook for another 2 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice just before the end of the 2 minutes.

To serve spoon a portion of herb potato in the centre of the plate. Place some fennel ribbons on top of the herb potato and then place the fillet on top. Spoon the chervil beurre blanc around the plate and serve. The plate can be garnished with some wilted spinach to improve the look of the plate.