SEA BREAM IN A GARLIC BOUILLON by Gérald Passédat, 3 Michelin star chef and undeniable King of Mediterranean cuisine. This dish may look simple to make but there’s nothing simple about the taste – it’s utterly delicious and guaranteed to impress.
Serves 4 | Preparation time: 2 hours | Cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 small sea bream, weighing 12 oz. (350 g) each
3 heads garlic
6 shallots
2 cups (1 lb. 2 oz./500 g) salt (large grain salt)
2 cups (500 ml) fish stock
5 oz. (150 g) any white fish fillets
Scant ¼ cup (50 ml) whipping cream
6 sage leaves
Salt, pepper
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C/Gas mark 2).
Put two of the heads of garlic and all the shallots between two layers of salt in an ovenproof dish and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. When cooked, cut the shallots in half length ways and squeeze the soft garlic from the heads. Set aside.
Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (130°C/Gas mark ½).
Clean and scale the sea bream. Remove the two fillets from each fish by slicing length ways along the backbone on either side, but leaving the fillets attached at the belly. Clean the fish, remove the bones and skin, and lay them side by side in an ovenproof dish. Season, pour over 1 cup (250 ml) of the stock, and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove any bones or pieces of skin from the white fish fillets, put the remaining stock in a saucepan, and add the fillets. Separate the third head of garlic into cloves, peel them, and add to the saucepan. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cream and two sage leaves, and allow to infuse for a few minutes. Remove and discard the sage leaves. Pour this bouillon into a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour a little bouillon into each soup plate and lay a sea bream fillet in the center. Arrange three shallot halves and a sage leaf around it, then place a quenelle-shaped teaspoonful of the reserved garlic puree on top.
Recipe from Flavors from the French Mediterranean cook book by Gérald Passedat – full of divine dishes from the brilliant chef.
More recipes from Gerald Passedat:
Menton Lemon Tart – a fabulous citrus tart that will have your taste buds singing!
Poached peaches in green tea syrup – deliciously easy to make and very more-ish!
Strawberry and tomato salad – it sounds like it doesn’t work but it does and its lush!
