Pan fried sea bream

Start the New Year with a clean slate by cooking some healthy food. Try this recipe for crispy fillet of sea bream from L'atelier des Chefs that is bursting with flavour and good for you too.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Sea bream fillet(s) 140g : 6 whole
For the garnish(es)
New potato(es) : 500 g
Fine salt : 6 pinch(es)
Flat leaf parsley : 0.25 bunch
Spring onion(s) : 2 whole

For the vinaigrette:
Black olive(s) : 100 g
Garlic clove(s) : 1 bulb
Red chilli(s) : 1 whole
Olive oil : 10 cl
Lemon(s) : 1 whole

For the vegetables:
Fennel : 2 whole
Fine salt : 6 pinch(es)
For the rest of the recipe
Sunflower oil : 3 cl
Fine salt : 6 pinch(es)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200'C.

2. Cook the potatoes in salted water. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and then cook until tender.

3. Finely slice the spring onions and roughly chop the parsley.

4. Finely dice the red chilli, garlic and the black olives. Squeeze the juice from the lemon.

5. Cut the fennel in half and remove the tough core. Use a mandolin to cut the fennel into fine slices. Season with salt and leave to wilt.

6. Remove any pin bones from the bream and then score the skin three times.

7. Heat a frying pan to hot and add a little sunflower or vegetable oil. Season the fish with salt and cook in the pan skin side down until the edges are golden brown. Transfer to the oven and cook for a further 3 minutes.

8. Whilst the fish is cooking, crush the potatoes with a fork and add the parsley and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper and add some olive oil.

9. Mix the olives with the garlic and chilli. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some olive oil to form a salsa. Dress the fennel with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice.

10. To serve: Fill a stainless steel ring with the crushed potatoes. Carefully remove the serving ring and place the fish on top of the potatoes, top with some of the wilted fennel and finish the plate with the black olive salsa.

CHEF'S TIP

To ensure that the skin is crispy, make sure the edges are golden brown before transferring to the oven to finish cooking.

For more information on cooking classes at London based cooking school, L'atelier des Chef, visit www.atelierdeschefs.co.uk.

January 2012