Roasted Black Bass With Mussels Panzanella 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.

ROASTED WHOLE BLACK BASS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse the fish and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Score each side of the fish 3 to 4 times on a bias, about 1/2-inch deep. Combine the parsley, tarragon and thyme into 1 large bunch with the stems attached, and separate out one-third of the bunch. Finely chop the separated, smaller bunch. Mix with one-quarter of the fennel slices, one-third of the fronds, garlic and capers and 2 of the lemon slices, making a sort of herby citrus marinade. Mix the chopped herb mixture with the olive oil and rub the mixture inside and outside of the fish as well as inside the slits. This will allow the herby citrus flavors to permeate through the fish. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place half of the remaining herbs, fennel, lemon slices, garlic and capers in a bed on the bottom of a roasting pan and the other half inside the cavity of the fish. Place the fish in a roasting pan. Evenly distribute the wine and butter pats in the pan, and place in the oven. The wine will help keep your fish moist and help steam it, as well as making a great sauce with the butter. Roast until the fish has cooked through, or until the skin is crispy and the fish is flaky, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the fish to a serving platter with a bed of the Israeli Couscous (be careful, the fish is tender and can break). Pour the sauce from the pan over the fish and fillet to serve.
• Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit until the water is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the currants, fresh herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir in a small glug of olive oil before serving. Yield: 6 servings.