Sea Bass with Citrus Recipe - Great British Chefs

Pan-fried sea bass with broccoli purée and citrus sauce

Main
medium
4
45 minutes, plus 5 hours for the citrus sauce

PT45M

PT5H

Pretty as they are, the broccoli purée and citrus sauce elements in this sea bass with citrus recipe from Pierre Koffmann are no mere ornaments. The sharp, zesty flavour of the sauce provides a lovely counterpoint to the rich sea bass, while the purée underscores the dish with a lovely earthy quality.

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Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Sea bass

4 sea bass fillets, each weighing 160g, descaled and pin boned
vegetable oil
sea salt

Broccoli purée

2 head of broccoli, or 1 large
2 small garlic cloves, or 1 large
1/2 chilli, or to your taste
olive oil
salt
pepper

Citrus sauce

1 red onion, cut into quarters
2.5l water
375ml of white wine
450g of fennel, finely chopped
300g of onion, finely chopped
450g of carrots, finely chopped
225g of celery, finely chopped
250g of leek, finely chopped
37g of garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 orange, zested
17g of sugar
19g of chicken stock, powder
37g of lemon segments
125g of orange segments
25g of ginger
salt
pepper

Red onion garnish

1 red onion, cut into quarters
olive oil
salt

To finish the sauce

10g of lemon segments
10g of orange segments
chives, chopped
1 knob of butter

To serve

20g of baby capers, washed
chives, chopped

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Method

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To prepare the citrus sauce, add the water and wine to a pan and bring to the boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients (apart from the citrus segments, ginger, butter and chives) and leave to simmer for 3 hours

2.5l water
375ml of white wine
pepper
salt
19g of chicken stock, powder
17g of sugar
1 orange, zested
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
37.5g of garlic, finely chopped
250g of leek, finely chopped
225g of celery, finely chopped
450g of carrots, finely chopped
300g of onion, finely chopped
450g of fennel, finely chopped
450g of fennel, finely chopped
1 red onion, cut into quarters

For the purée, wash the broccoli and break down into medium-sized florets. Add to a pan of salted boiling water and cook until tender, for approximately 3-4 minutes. Strain and set aside until required

2 head of broccoli, or 1 large

Add a dash of oil to a pan, add the garlic and chilli and cook gently on a low heat to infuse. Ensuring that the broccoli is well-drained, add to the oil and toss until the broccoli is nicely coated

2 small garlic cloves, or 1 large
1/2 chilli, or to your taste
olive oil

Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender and blitz to achieve a smooth purée, adding more oil as necessary to achieve the correct consistency. Season the purée to taste, transfer to a bowl and chill quickly by setting the bowl over ice and stirring, or using a blast chiller

salt
pepper

Return to the citrus sauce. After 3 hours of simmering, stir in the citrus segments and ginger and leave to infuse for 2 hours. Pass through a strainer into a clean pan and reduce to achieve a thin, gravy-like consistency. Set aside until required

37.5g of lemon segments, peeled, plus extra to serve
125g of orange segments, peeled, plus extra to serve
25g of ginger

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/gas mark 6

Place the quartered onion into a small baking dish with a dash of oil and salt. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes

1 red onion, cut into quarters
olive oil
salt

Once the onion is nearly cooked, place a small ovenproof pan over a high heat and add a dash of oil. Score the skin of the fish and season with a good pinch of sea salt. Place the fillets in the pan, skin-side down

vegetable oil
sea salt
4 sea bass fillets, each weighing 160g, descaled and pin boned

Reduce to a medium heat and cook for 3 minutes, or until the fish is cooked to halfway through and crispy at the edges. Carefully turn the fillets over, remove from the heat and cook in the oven for 4 minutes to finish off

Once ready to serve the sauce, reheat gently and stir through a knob of butter, some more chopped citrus segments and chives to finish

chives
1 knob of butter
10g of lemon segments
10g of orange segments

Before serving, reheat the broccoli purée until warmed through

Add some purée to each plate, followed by the citrus sauce. Top with the sea bass, add the red onion and finish with a spoonful of capers and some chopped chives. Serve immediately

20g of baby capers, washed
chives

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Pierre Koffmann

Pierre Koffmann's cooking is undeniably refined; classical yet humble, with provincial French touches grounding the skilful elegance of the food. Taking inspiration from his Gascon roots, Pierre artfully extracts extraordinary flavour from ordinary ingredients and cuts.