Wild line-caught sea bass and wild fennel

Put all the ingredients for the fennel oil in a blender, then blend for around 5 minutes until very smooth and slightly warm

Allow to sit overnight, then the next day strain through muslin. The oil will keep for 2 days in the fridge, or for a few months in the freezer

Fillet and portion the sea bass, if not already broken down

For the sea bass stock, put all the ingredients along with 400g sea bass bones into a large stock pot

Add enough water to cover the ingredients, then bring to a simmer. Skim off the froth that comes to the surface, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 2 hours

After 2 hours, pass through a chinois and set aside

To make the fennel purée, sweat the chopped fennel, onion and garlic with the butter over a low heat until very soft and sweet, about 40 minutes

Add 150 ml of the sea bass stock, and then cook for another 20 minutes

Transfer the mixture to a blender and drizzle in 25 ml fennel oil while blending

Pass the sauce through a chinois, then quickly chill the purée over ice

For the fennel vinegar, bring the water and vinegar to a boil, then stir in the remaining ingredients and remove from the heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, set aside to cool then keep in a jar in the fridge

For the fennel pollen sauce, first fry the fennel seed and star anise in the vegetable oil until just fragrant, then add the fennel stalks. Cook for a few minutes until lightly wilted, then add the pernod and cook down to a syrup

Add 500g sea bass stock and cook for around 20 minutes at a simmer, or until the liquid is slightly reduced

Add the fennel fronds, then remove from the heat to infuse for 30 minutes

Pass through a chinois, and weigh the remaining liquid. Measure out an equal weight of butter, and dice it into small cubes

Add the sauce back to the pan and slowly whisk in the diced butter, a few cubes at a time, whisking constantly. Once all the butter is incorporated, and you have a silky sauce, finish with the fennel pollen and a splash of fennel vinegar. The final sauce should be silky, glossy and emulsified, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and have a rich buttery flavor alongside the freshness of anise

For the fennel foam, first simmer the cider vinegar until reduced by half 

Warm together 50g sea bass stock and 50g fennel vinegar with the reduced vinegar, butter and crème fraîche

Foam the mixture with a hand blender

Light the konro grill and wait for it to get very hot

Skewer the sea bass fillets making sure to thread the skewer evenly across the fish to support it while it cooks

Cook the sea bass, skin side down at first, turning every 30 seconds, until just cooked through and the skin is blistered and charred. Once cooked a cake tester should slide easily through the middle of each fillet

Remove from the heat and let rest for a couple minutes, then brush with brown butter, season with flaky sea salt and sprinkle with fennel pollen

To serve, put a healthy spoon of the fennel purée to one side of the plate, and a spoonful of the silky fennel pollen sauce to the centre. Add a few drops of the fennel oil to the fennel pollen sauce

Put your fish in the centre of the plate and then garnish with wild fennel flowers and green fennel fronds

Finally, re-foam the fennel foam, and scoop off the light, airy foam at the top of the sauce. Spoon a generous amount over each plate