insideKENT Magazine Issue 86 - May 2019 | Seite 96

FOOD+DRINK
THE FLAVOURS OF KENT CONT.
Whits Wild Sea Bass with Fennel, Pepper, Chorizo and Mussel Broth
From Whits of Walmer, Deal
www.whits.co.uk
Serves 4
Whits of Walmer is a cosy seafood
restaurant on Walmer Strand,
overlooking the sea from which the
fabulous fish cooked there is landed. After
11+ years at Whits, their Kensington
restaurant, Steve and Eva Whitney left
London in 2015 to pursue their dream
of living by the sea and opening a fish
restaurant to showcase fish caught off the
Kent coastline. New dishes and specials
appear on the menu daily according to
the fish available from their amazing fish
supplier, Fruits de Mer in Broadstairs –
the best wet fish shop in the South East
of England.
Ingredients: Method:
• 4 x 130g fillets of wild local sea bass
• 1/2 litre mussel cooking liquor
• 1/2 bulb crushed garlic
• 1/2 finely chopped onion
• 12 cooked turned (barrel-shaped) local
new potatoes
• 1g saffron pistils
• 1 dessert spoon tomato puree
• 6g chopped parsley
• 6g chopped fresh thyme
• 15g skinned chopped good quality chorizo
• 1 dessert spoon red pepper tapenade
• 150g cleaned and poached local squid
• 1 dessert spoon olive oil
• Salt and smoked paprika to taste 1. Poach fennel in lightly salted water until soft.
Garnish: 7. Add squid to mussel liquor and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove
squid and arrange on a plate.
• 4 mussel shells
• 12 debearded mussels, cooked
• 130g wood-roasted red peppers
• 12 sunblushed tomatoes
• 12 skinned cloves roasted garlic
• 12 cooked potato gnocchi
• 150g finely sliced poached fennel
96
2. Sweat off chopped onions, thyme and crushed garlic in the
olive oil.
3. Add chopped chorizo and cook for a further 2 minutes.
4. Add mussel liquor, tomato purée, tapenade and saffron, and simmer
for 10 minutes.
5. Season and pan fry sea bass skin side down in olive oil until skin is
nicely crisp. Turn each fillet over and finish cooking skin side up.
6. Place fennel in centre of serving plate and arrange all garnish around
the fennel, placing mussels back in mussel shells.
8. Spoon mussel liquor over garnish.
9. Place cooked sea bass on top of fennel, sprinkle with parsley
and serve.