Sea bass with red pepper sauce and Jerusalem artichokes

This recipe brings together the flavours of the sea bass with those of a Spanish red pepper sauce and English Jerusalem artichokes.  It is a brilliant combination.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 50 Mins

Total Time: 70 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

2 tbs               Olive oil    

4 fillets            Sea bass   

For the artichokes

300 gms          Jerusalem artichokes

   Salt  - flakes  

75 ml              Olive oil    

12                  Sage leaves

12                  Sage leaves

   Pepper  - freshly ground, black        

For the pepper sauce

1                  Pepper  - red

2 tbs             Olive oil      

2                  Shallots  - chopped     

1½ cloves      Garlic  - chopped finely

2                  Bay leaves   

1 tbs             Sugar  - caster          

50 ml            Sherry  - manzanilla    

125 ml           Water         

                   Pepper        

                   Salt            

Method

For the Jerusalem artichokes…

Peel the Jerusalem artichokes and cook them in plenty of salted boiling water until tender (the should be soft but firm) — about 20 minutes.  Drain them, allow them to cool, then cut in half lengthways.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and brown the Jerusalem artichokes on all sides. Add the sage leaves and season well.

For the red pepper sauce…

In a hot oven (200°C), dry-roast the red pepper for 30 minutes.  Let it cool for a while and then peel it, cut it open, remove the seeds and then finely slice it.

Heat 25ml of the oil in a medium-sized pan.  Add the shallots, garlic and bay leaves and gently fry for about 5 minutes, until just translucent.  Add the pepper to the pan with the caster sugar.  Stir well. Add the manzanilla Sherry and the of water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool a little.  Pour the sauce into food processor and blitz until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To cook the fish…

Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a frying pan, large enough to hold all the fish in one layer. until smoking.  Fry the sea bass, skin side down, for about 6 minutes.  Season well and then turn over the fish and fry on the other side for another 2 minutes.  Seasoning again.

Serve the fish as soon as it is ready, with the red pepper sauce and Jerusalem artichokes.

Wine recommendations

An aromatic white wine.

Conventional

     Mâcon

Interesting

     Côtes de Gascogne

     Entre-deux-Mers

     Lirac

     Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur lie