Ingredients
For the sea bass
1 Sea bass, 1.5kg
Salt, pepper
Bergamot oil
Espelette pepper
Vegetables & herbs for a marinade
Vac bag
For the stuffed sea-lettuce leaves
1 pack of pickled sea lettuce leaves
150gr basmati rice
1 onion
1 garlic clove
100ml white wine
400ml fish broth
Zest of 2 lemons
Small bunch of fennel
200gr of the flesh picked from the fish head and bones
Plastic wrap (cling film)
For the citrus fruit sauce
150gr yuzu juice
20gr lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
30gr maple syrup
1.5gr Xanthan Gum
35gr bergamot oil
vinegar
For the finocchio puree
2kg finocchio, sliced
200gr olive oil
10gr fennel seeds
400gr single cream
Salt, pepper
For serving/decorating the dish
Borage flowers
Borage leaves
Cappuccino leaves
Green apples
Method
Start by filleting the fish, removing the head and fishbone. Marinade the fish head and fish bone with vegetables and herbs of our choice and bake them in the oven. When cooked and cooled down, pick all the flesh from the head and bone and set it aside to be used for the stuffing of the sea-lettuce leaves.
Season the fish filets with bergamot oil, salt, pepper and Espalette pepper and seal them in a Vac bag. Bake it in the oven at 75oC for 5 minutes.
Remove excess salt from pickled sea-lettuce leaves by rinsing them in water and set them aside to dry.
Cook rice the way you would a risotto: after sautéing the onion and garlic, add the rice into the pot to brown, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Pour in the white wine and let the rice absorb it. Add the fish broth and bring it to a boil. Put the lid on the pan and place it in the oven at 180οC (350οF) for 13 minutes.
Remove from the oven, add the rest of the ingredients into the rice and let it cool.
To stuff the leaves: Spread one leaf on a piece of plastic wrap, and place some of the stuffing in the center. Wrap the leaf round the stuffing tight, in the shape of a bullet, using the wrap. Repeat the process with the remaining leaves. When done, cut the “bullets” into bite-size portions and steam them warm.
Pour yuzu juice, vinegar, salt, lime juice, maple syrup and Xanthan in a food processor. Turn it on for one minute or so, until the Xanthan begins to turn into jelly. Add the oil so that the mixture rises.
Sauté the finocchio with the olive oil and fennel seeds. Once it has softened, add the cream to a boil for a couple minutes. Use the food processor (Thermomix) to create the purée.
