FOOD + DRINK
SEAFOOD SUMMER CONT .
Steamed Sea Bass in a Bag
Recipe by : Matt Sworder , chef & owner of The Corner House Restaurant www . cornerhouserestaurants . co . uk
Ingredients :
• 4 sea bass fillets
• 1 fennel
• 2 banana shallots , finely chopped
• 1 ⁄ 2 bunch tarragon , finely chopped
• 1 lemon , finely sliced
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 bottle Biddenden cider ( or alternative good quality dry cider )
• 100g butter
• 500g heritage tomatoes , ideally Thanet Earth
• 500g new potatoes
• 50ml rapeseed oil
• Sherry vinegar , just a dash
• Salt and pepper
Method :
1 . Firstly , get the new potatoes on the go . Place in a pan with cold water and a pinch of salt . Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes until they are cooked , pierce with a knife to check . Once cooked , allow to cool naturally . Slice in half , drizzle with rapeseed oil , season and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crisp .
2 . To make the steaming bags , roll out tin foil and baking paper to 60cm . Put the foil on top of the baking paper and fold in half , then half and half and half again until you have made an origami fan . Slice the end off with scissors and open up all 4 bags .
3 . Slice the fennel super thin , ideally on a mandolin and put straight into ice water . This makes the fennel go beautifully crispy and perfect for the tomato salad . Put aside .
4 . Put 2 pieces of sliced lemon in the centre of each of the bags . Cover with dill , a knob of butter and a couple of slices of fennel on top .
5 . Lightly season your sea bass and place on top of the fennel , skin-side on top .
6 . Fold back in half the bag and seal up the ends . Place a swig of Biddenden cider ( or alternative good quality dry cider ) in the bag and seal .
7 . Place on baking trays in the oven at 180 ° C for 12 minutes .
8 . Whilst the seabass is steaming in the oven , slice up the heritage tomatoes in different shapes and sizes . Lightly mix in a bowl with the shallots , fennel and tarragon . Add a little rapeseed oil , a dash of sherry vinegar and seasoning to taste .
9 . To serve , place the seabass on top of the roasted new potatoes and position the tomato salad on the side . We put a few pea shoots on top of ours , which adds a lovely fresh flavour . However , you can use a little frisée lettuce instead .
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