Food Friday Recipe: Roasted Sea Bass by Guillaume Bachellez

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Moet Hennessey headquarters the other week for the launch of their second book with French publisher Flammarion, French Wine Chateaux

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Moet Hennessey headquarters the other week for the launch of their second book with French publisher Flammarion, French Wine Chateaux. The launch was a lunch – sometimes the removal of just one letter from a word improves it beyond measure.

This is a beautiful coffee-table number documenting the different châteaux, stories and makes of champagne in the Moet Hennessey group. Apart from the lovely pictures and historical text there are a few exquisite recipes dotted through the book and to celebrate the launch we have managed to get our hands on one of them.

For your eyes only – Guillaume Bachellez’s Roasted Sea Bass à la bubbles. Enjoy!

ROASTED LINE-CAUGHT SEA BASS, POIVRADE ARTICHOKES IN JUS, AND CHAMPAGNE SAUCE

Serves 4

· 12 poivrade artichokes
· Juice of 1 lemon
· 1 onion, chopped
· Scant 1/2 cup (100 ml) olive oil
· 1 cup (250 ml) white wine
· 2 cups (500 ml) white chicken stock
· 4 fillets sea bass, each about 6 oz. (180 g)
· Salt and pepper

Champagne sauce:

· 3 1/2 oz. (100 g) shallots, chopped
· 1 sprig thyme
· 1 cup (250 ml) white wine
· 2 cups (500 ml) fish fumet
· 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
· 3/4 cup (200 ml) Champagne Brut
· Salt and pepper

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· Chervil leaves and beet shoots for garnish

Trim the poivrade artichokes, making sure to retain their shape. Dip them in water with lemon juice so that they do not darken. Sauté them briefly with the chopped onion in a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with the white wine. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Make the champagne sauce: In a pot, sweat the chopped shallots with the thyme. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce. Add the fish fumet and reduce by half. Pour in the cream and then the champagne. Adjust the seasoning.

With a sharp knife, make incisions in the skin of the sea bass. Season with salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Sear the fish fillets, skin side down, until nicely colored. Turn them over and finish cooking. Arrange the fillets and poivrade artichokes on a dish. Garnish with the chervil leaves and beet shoots. Serve the champagne sauce on the side.