Bass with leeks and tartare hollandaise
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This sea bass recipe extols the virtues of steaming fish rather than overpowering its delicate flavour with high heat and butter. Served with steamed leeks and a hollandaise-meets-tartare sauce hybrid, this dish is an absolute joy to eat. Recipe taken from Restaurant Nathan Outlaw (Bloomsbury Absolute, £45), out now. Photography by David Loftus.
First published in 2019
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 4 sea bass fillets, 160-180g each, scaled and pin-boned
- light olive oil, for drizzling
- Cornish sea salt
Tartare hollandaise
- 350ml of olive oil
- 1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsp of water
- 1 gherkin, large, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of capers in brine, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of curly parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp of chives, chopped
- 1 tbsp of tarragon, chopped
- 1 tbsp of chervil, chopped
Leeks
- 12 leeks, young and tender, trimmed and cleaned
To finish
- chives, chervil and parsley, chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Steamer
Method
1
To make the tartare hollandaise, heat the olive oil in a pan over a low heat until warm, but not hot, then add the lemon zest and remove from the heat
- 350ml of olive oil
- 1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
2
Place the egg yolks, water and lemon juice in a stainless steel bowl and set it over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl isn’t touching the water. Whisk until the mixture triples in volume and is thick enough to leave a ribbon when the whisk is lifted
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsp of water
3
Remove the bowl from the pan (save the hot water in the pan) and slowly whisk the olive oil into the egg yolk mix. Gradually increase the flow of oil until it is all incorporated, then season with salt to taste. Cover with cling film or a plate and keep warm
4
To cook the leeks, set up a steamer (or use a steam oven if you have one). Place the trimmed whole leeks in the steamer and steam for 5–6 minutes until cooked. Remove them from the steamer and slice into 3–4cm lengths. Keep warm
- 12 leeks, young and tender, trimmed and cleaned
5
To cook the fish, trim the bass portions to neaten if necessary and season with salt. Lay the fish on a tray and drizzle lightly all over with olive oil. Cook in the steamer for 4–6 minutes, depending on thickness
- 4 sea bass fillets, 160-180g each, scaled and pin-boned
- light olive oil, for drizzling
- Cornish sea salt
6
While the fish is steaming, put the bowl of hollandaise back over the pan of water and gently warm it. Add the gherkin, capers and herbs. Mix well and taste the sauce for seasoning, adding a little more salt if required
- 1 gherkin, large, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of capers in brine, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of curly parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp of chives, chopped
- 1 tbsp of tarragon, chopped
- 1 tbsp of chervil, chopped
7
Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the steamer and place on a board. Put the leeks back into the steamer to warm through. Meanwhile, carefully remove the skin from the bass and season the flesh lightly with salt
8
Share the sauce equally among 4 warmed plates and top each with a portion of bass. Take the leeks from the steamer and place on top of the fish. Finish with freshly chopped herbs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve straight away
- chives, chervil and parsley, chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
First published in 2019
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