Griddled sea bass with stuffed courgettes, tomatoes, olives and basil
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 2 hours 30 minutes
PT2H30M
William Drabble shares his sunny Mediterranean sea bass recipe, inspired by his travels in the region. "I created my dish after a trip to Sicily," he explains. "Tomatoes, basil and black olives is a typical combination in Italy; it is very simple, but it works like magic when the ingredients taste as good as they do there. I was having tomato and basil everyday, be it in a Caprese salad, in pennette with tomato sauce, in caponata, or in a pizza Margherita... and I absolutely fell in love with their stuffed vegetables. I have incorporated those magical flavours into my sea bass dish (now on the menu at Seven Park Place)."
Ingredients
Basil oil
- 20g of basil , leaves picked
- 200ml of olive oil
Slow-roasted heirloom tomatoes
- heirloom tomato
- salt
- icing sugar
- olive oil
- basil , 2 sprigs
Tomato sauce
- 100ml of olive oil
- 1 shallot , thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 10 tomatoes , ripe, peeled and chopped
- salt
- cayenne pepper
- basil
Black olive croute
- black olives , pitted and marinated (not in brine)
- 1 baguette, small
Aubergine and courgette farce
- olive oil
- 1 shallot , finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 1/2 tsp herb de Provence
- salt
- 1 courgette , small, cut into 2mm dice
- 1/2 aubergine , small, cut into 2mm dice
- 1 flat mushroom , medium, cut into 2mm dice
- 2 spinach leaves , washed and cut into very thin strips
- 2 tomatoes , diced
- 1 handful of breadcrumbs, small
- 2 round courgettes , cut in half lengthways with centre scooped out
Sea bass
- 4 sea bass fillets , skin scored
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 lemon
Artichokes
- 4 baby artichokes , prepared, cooked and halved
- olive oil
Equipment
- Blender
Method
First make the basil oil. Place the picked basil in a liquidiser with the olive oil and blitz into a purée with a pinch of salt. Set aside in the fridge until required
- 20g of basil , leaves picked
- 200ml of olive oil
Preheat the oven to 80°C, or the lowest setting on a gas mark oven
Blanch the heirloom tomatoes briefly in water and remove the skins, then cut into wedges and place onto a non-stick baking tray. Season with salt, sprinkle over a little icing sugar and drizzle with some olive oil
- heirloom tomato
- salt
- icing sugar
- olive oil
Place a couple of sprigs of basil over the tomatoes and cook in the low oven for approximately 1-1 1/2 hours. Open the door at regular intervals to let any moisture out of the oven
- basil , 2 sprigs
For the tomato sauce, warm the olive oil in a wide, shallow, non-stick pan and add the shallot and garlic. Cook slowly until soft and sweet but not coloured. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with a little salt and cayenne pepper
- 100ml of olive oil
- 1 shallot , thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 10 tomatoes , ripe, peeled and chopped
- salt
- cayenne pepper
Cook slowly until the tomato sauce starts to thicken - you will need to stir it quite often to prevent it from burning. Once it has become thick, add the basil and leave it to infuse for 10 minutes before passing through a sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside in a warm place
For the olive en croute, add the olives to a blender and blitz to make a paste - you may need to add a little olive oil to help the process
- black olives , pitted and marinated (not in brine)
Slice the baguette very thinly to create a croute, then toast it slowly until nice and crispy. Set aside until ready to serve
- 1 baguette, small
For the aubergine and courgette farce (for stuffing the round courgettes), place some olive oil into a small pan and add the shallot, garlic, herbs de Provence and a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and sweet but not coloured
- olive oil
- 1 shallot , finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 1/2 tsp herb de Provence
- salt
Add the diced courgette and aubergine and cook until soft, then add the chopped mushroom and cook until the moisture has evaporated. Add the spinach and cook until dry again
- 1 courgette , small, cut into 2mm dice
- 1/2 aubergine , small, cut into 2mm dice
- 1 flat mushroom , medium, cut into 2mm dice
- 2 spinach leaves , washed and cut into very thin strips
Add the diced tomato cook for 1 minute, then add some breadcrumbs just to stiffen the mix up. Set aside
- 2 tomatoes , diced
- 1 handful of breadcrumbs, small
Blanch the round courgettes in boiling salted water until tender, but still firm and holding their shape. Refresh in iced water and drain. Stuff with some of the farce and sprinkle with a few more breadcrumbs. Place into oven for 10-15 minutes, then remove and keep warm
- 2 round courgettes , cut in half lengthways with centre scooped out
- salt
- 1 handful of breadcrumbs, small
Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/gas mark 2
To prepare the fish, add some olive oil to a hot pan and season the fish. Place in the pan skin-side down and fry for thirty seconds, then place the fish in the oven for 5-6 minutes to cook through
- 4 sea bass fillets , skin scored
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Meanwhile, quickly sauté the baby artichokes in a small pan with a dash of oil
- 4 baby artichokes , prepared, cooked and halved
- olive oil
Arrange the courgettes neatly onto plates, then spread on a little of the tomato sauce. Place the slow-cooked tomatoes and roasted artichokes on top of the sauce
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Griddled sea bass with stuffed courgettes, tomatoes, olives and basil
