Pan-fried Sea Bass
with Roasted Jersey Royals, fennel and samphire slaw

Serves 4

This delicious recipe from Matt at Saffron Fish Co is sure to impress your friends and we think it pairs perfectly with our Seyval Blanc Reserve.

Why not give it a try? Make sure you source your fish and samphire from Matt himself.

Ingredients

4 x Sea Bass fillets
600g Jersey Royal potatoes
1x head of fennel
100g samphire
1x lemon
1x red onion
Good quality olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

1) Wash and halve the Jersey Royals, toss in olive oil and seasoning and roast for 30mins at 180 degrees Celsius, or until browned and soft.

2) Prepare the ‘slaw’ by slicing the red onion and fennel as finely as possible. Then add the raw samphire and zest of the lemon and finish with a good tablespoon of olive oil. Chill in the fridge.

3) To cook the sea bass, put a medium pan on a high heat with nothing in the pan.

4) Pat the sea bass fillets dry with some kitchen roll and rub the fillets with oil and seasoning.

5) When the pan is very hot, add the bass skin-side down. Don’t be tempted to move the fillets as this will break the skin. Leave for 4-6 mins and then turn over.

6) Turn the heat down low and let the bass sit in the pan while you plate up the slaw and roasted potatoes. Finally add the sea bass and finish with a squeeze of lemon and some extra olive oil.

Extra tips

For a really crispy skin

1) If possible, leave the raw sea bass uncovered, skin-side up in the fridge for a few hours.

2) While cooking the fillets, if you can, add a little weight to them. I like to use a burger press to sit on top whilst they are skin side down.

Changing the slaw

1) For a warm slaw, simply heat the slaw up quickly in the pan once you have removed the bass fillets.

2) Add some cooked asparagus or cherry tomatoes into the mix.

3) Add in some soft herbs such as dill or parsley

Enjoy with a nice, cold glass of Seyval Blanc Reserve!