Serves 4
Ingredients
4x whole sea bass (300-400g)- scaled, filleted and pinned
Olive oil
Salt
Citrus cous cous:
- 100g Israeli cous cous 1 litre of water
- 1x grapefruit
- 1x orange
- 1x lemon
- 1x lime
- 2 tablespoons of chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
- 5g olive oil
Beetroot puree:
- 4 raw beetroot
- 3g red wine vinegar
- 5g ultratex
- Salt
Watercress emulsion
- 140g picked watercress
- 20g water
- 30g white balsamic vinegar
- 6g dijon mustard
- 220g grapeseed oil
2x baby cucumbers
100g kale
Method
For the cous cous. Micro plane the lemon to get 1 teaspoon of zest, and combine with the olive oil. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to the boil with salt to taste. Add the cous cous, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until cous cous is al dente. Drain and place in a bowl along with the lemon oil, gently stir, then spread out on a tray to cool.
Segment all the citrus fruit, you will need a 4 grapefruit segment, 6 orange segments, 2 lemon segments, and 2 lime segments. Chop these segments and combine together. Just before you serve the fish, warm the cous cous, then add the segments, herbs and seasoning if needed.
For the beetroot puree. Cook 2 of the beetroot until tender, by steaming or in salted water. Allow to cool, then cut into small pieces.
Juice the other 2 beetroot and strain through fine chinois. Place 275g of cooked beetroot and 175 of beetroot juice in the blender, add the vinegar, ultratex and pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and thickened, add more juice, seasoning and ultratex if necessary.
For the watercress emulsion. Blend the watercress, vinegar, mustard and water in the blender, and while mixing add the oil as quickly as possible. Chill in a bowl over ice to preserve colour.
For the cucumbers. Heat a griddle until very hot. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthways, lightly oil and season with salt, and place on the griddle, cut side down. Turn after a couple minutes. Ensure the cucumber is still al dente.
For the kale. Heat a small pan of vegetable oil to 150 deg cel. Pick the kale, then deep fry until stops spitting , place a lid over the pan while this is happening, then leave for further 30 seconds without a lid. Drain on kitchen paper and season with salt.
For the fish. Preheat the oven to 220 deg cel, and place a tray inside. Lightly season the fish and lightly cover with olive oil. Place it, skin side down, on a parchment paper lined tray, then place another sheet of parchment on top. Slide the parchment with the fish off the cold tray onto the the tray in the oven, and place some metal rings on top to hold paper down. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until fish is just a tiny bit undercooked (as it will continue to cook). Remove from the oven, and serve immediately.
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