Imagine a dish where the rich, buttery flavors of Chilean sea bass are perfectly complemented by the tangy, sweet flavors of summer tomatoes and mild anise flavor of fennel. Braised in white wine and lemon. This is a scrumptious and easy dish to make, and highlights summer's ingredients.
This dish was inspired by an early recipe by Martha Stewart. See cooks notes.
Season: Summer
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 skinless fillets of Chilean Sea bass, or other white fish
2 medium fennel bulbs, cored, thinly sliced
4 medium vine ripe tomatoes, cored, coursely chopped , or 1 pint cherry & sungold tomatoes
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup filtered water
2 tbsp. unsweetened butter
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 lemon slices, zest if organic
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup fresh parsley, fine chop
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper
Method ~ Braising Liquid:
Pour the oil, wine, and water into a large skillet, then add the fennel, tomatoes, garlic, and lemon slices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and bring to a boil over medium- high heat, then simmer over moderate heat until the tomatoes begin to fall apart and the fennel softens, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add the butter, and swirl around in the pan, to thicken. This creates a luxurious sauce.
Braise the fish:
Let the fish sit out of the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and arrange fillets in the pan, with braised tomatoes, partially submerging them in the sauce. Cover and simmer until fish is opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Simmer 1-2 minutes longer if fish is very thick.
To Serve:
Spoon some of the braising sauce into a shallow bowl, then top with the fish. Drizzle with some olive oil, Sprinkle toasted pine nuts over the dish. Sprinkle with parsley, and fresh ground pepper. Taste for seasoning.
Cooks Note: I suggest warming the bowls to keep the dish hot. If the sea bass has skin on it, ask your fish monger to remove it if you like.
~ All larger fish should be eaten moderately, for it's higher mercury content.
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