Black Sea Bass And Mussels A La Nage Recipes

ROASTED BLACK BASS WITH MUSSELS PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Make the mussels panzanella: Heat a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add mussels, wine, peppercorns, and basil stems. Bring to a vigorous simmer. Cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer mussels to a bowl as they open. Discard any unopened mussels. Let cool. Remove from shells. Continue to cook broth until reduced by half. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve; discard solids. You will have about 3/4 cup broth.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush bread with olive oil, and toast on a baking sheet until golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Tear into 3/4-inch chunks.
• Combine mussels, broth, bread, basil, olive oil, tomatoes, vinegar, zest, and red-pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the black bass: Cut 3 slashes in skins of each fillet. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 2 fillets, skin sides down. Cook until flesh is browned and opaque around edges, about 3 minutes. Flip, and cook for 1 minute more. Add 1 tablespoon butter, and heat until melted and foamy. Spoon over fish continuously for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining oil, fish, and butter. Serve over mussels panzanella. Garnish with basil, and drizzle with olive oil.

SEA BASS A LA MICHELE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Oil a baking dish.
• Microwave potatoes in a microwave dish on High until just softened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk olive oil and sherry vinegar together in a bowl. Add smoked paprika and salt; whisk to blend. Stir in onions, red jalapeno, and cooked potatoes. Slide the fish fillets into the mixture, turning and coating them with the vinaigrette. Remove the fish from potato mixture.
• Place potatoes in prepared baking dish. Nestle fish onto potatoes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, a dash of paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Bake in center of preheated oven until just cooked through and fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes.

BLACK BASS WITH SCALLIONS IN GINGER NAGE

Steps:

• Combine the wine, water, vinegar, celery, garlic, leeks, the quartered tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, salt and cayenne in a large, wide pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Add the fennel, mint and basil and simmer for 20 minutes longer. Strain.
• Return the broth to the pot and simmer. Add the fish and poach until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to 4 large soup plates. Add the scallions to the broth and blanch until just tender, about 2 minutes.
• Arrange the scallions around the fish and top with the diced tomato, ginger, lemon and coriander. Ladle broth over the fish and serve immediately.

CRISPY BLACK BASS WITH PEPPER, TOMATO, AND GINGER NAGE

Steps:

• In a non-stick pan, sear the bass, skin down, with 1/2 the butter on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until medium rare.
• Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise, and blanch in salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Once potatoes have been blanched, saute in 1 ounce of the butter, and set aside.
• Once the fish has cooked, set aside. In the same pan add the remaining butter and saute the habanero, ginger, peppers, and onion until pungent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet wine, chives, and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, arrange the potatoes on the bottom of a large soup plate. Place the fish skin side up, and spoon the hot nage mixture around and over the fish. Serve immediately.

ROLLED FILLETS OF SOLE A LA NAGE

Steps:

• Put fillets on a flat surface. A thin line runs lengthwise down the center of each fillet. Run a sharp knife in the center to divide the fillets. Now you have 8 fillets.
• Trim off zucchini ends and, if you have a mandolin-like device that makes long strips, make long thin spaghetti-like pieces; if you have no such device, just slice the zucchini into thin rounds.
• Scrub the mussels and drain. Place them in a saucepan. Add the ginger, thyme, bay leaf and wine. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds or until mussels open. Let cool. Remove meat from shell and set aside. Strain liquid and set aside.
• Place the carrots in a saucepan with water to cover and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 7 minutes or until tender. Drain. Keep warm.
• Roll fillets like small jelly rolls. Insert a toothpick to hold them together. Butter the bottom of a skillet large enough to hold the rolls in one layer with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Sprinkle shallots over bottom of the skillet and add salt and pepper.
• Arrange the rolls standing up and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the mussel broth over the fish. Cover closely and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the fillets and keep them warm. Strain the cooking liquid.
• Transfer the cooking liquid to a saucepan over medium high heat. Reduce the liquid to two-thirds. Add the remaining butter bit by bit to the saucepan, beating rapidly with a wire whisk. Add the zucchini and simmer for 10 seconds, stirring with a fork. Keep very hot.
• To serve, divide the eight rolled fillets with two each on four deep soup plates, standing up. To each plate, add three carrots and a few mussels around the fillets. Pour over the broth and zucchini. Garnish with coriander sprigs. Serve hot.