Braised fillets of sea bass with sabayon sauce

Sabayon is a classic, light, airy custard sauce made by whisking together egg yolks and a liquid.  In this recipe the liquid is the juices from cooking the fish.  The sauce is then finished off by whisking in some butter.  It is a perfect accompaniment for the sea bass.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 25 Mins

Total Time: 40 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

1                    Shallot  - chopped    

4 fillets            Sea bass    

10 cl                Stock  - fish

70 ml              Wine  - dry white     

2                    Egg yolks   

30 gms            Butter       

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

Method

Heat an oven to 220°C.

Place the shallots in the bottom of a buttered gratin or other dish of a size so that the fillets will fit.  Place the fillets on top the shallots.

Add fish stock and the wine until the liquid comes halfway up the sides of the fish fillets.

Cover the dish loosely with aluminium foil and place it in the oven.  Let the fish cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the fish from the oven, transfer them to a hot plate and cover them with aluminium foil to keep them warm.

Strain the fish cooking liquid into a measuring jug.  If there is more than 125 ml, reduce it on top of a stove to concentrate its flavours.

Transfer the fish cooking liquid to a mixing bowl, to cool it more rapidly.  When the liquid is cool, combine it with the egg yolks in a saucepan.  Heat the mixture over high heat while quickly beating with a whisk.

When the mixture begins to stiffen and the bottom of the saucepan starts to be visible while whisking, remove the pan from the heat.  Continue whisking for about 20 seconds more, to cool the sabayon slightly.

Finished off the sabayon by whisking in the butter.  Season with salt and pepper.

Variations

Instead of finishing off the sabayon sauce with butter, it can be finished off with olive oil or crème fraîche.

Wine recommendations

          A dry white wine.

  Conventional

           Mâcon

  Interesting

           Graves blanc

           Riesling

           Savennières