Sea BASS, Crispy PROSCIUTTO and CRUSHED New POTATOES

A LITTLE ABOUT THE FISH

Sea Bass is one of the most affordable prime fish. It's flesh is white, with a firm texture that holds well while cooking. It's sweet and rich flavour makes it enjoyable, On the bone or in fillets, Sea Bass is easy and fast to cook. Sea Bass are naturally available off the Southern coast of Ireland, where they can grow up to 9KGs. Under Irish legislation, a complete ban on commercial Sea Bass fishing means that fishing boats are not permitted to land them under any circumstances and must discard them. The development of Sea Bass farming in the Mediterranean has filled a void in the supply of a fish popular all over Europe. After Trout and Salmon, Sea Bass is the third fish species to be successfully commercially farmed in Europe. The production of Sea Bass is mostly restricted to the Mediterranean Basin, where the warmer waters are the most suitable to the growth of this species. The most important farming countries are Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, and Croatia. Sea Bass is still being produced in France but only on a small scale.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 Sea Bass Fillets
Salt and Black Pepper
375g Baby new potatoes,quartered
4 slices of Prosciutto di Parma
1 tbsp Olive Oil
100g Butter
2 tbsp chopped chives
4 tbsp chopped parsley


Method:

Score the Sea Bass fillets lightly on the skin side, season with salt and set aside. Fill a large saucepan with cold water and a little salt, add the potatoes, bring to the boil and cook until tender.

Meanwhile place the prosciutto slices in a cold non-stick frying pan. Turn on the heat and allow the ham to crisp up, turning once during cooking. Once cooked, remove from the pan and place on a sheet of kitchen paper to drain any excess fat. Set aside.

Wipe the frying pan clean and place it back on the hob over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and place the fish skin side down,cook for 6-7 minutes to allow skin to crisp up. Turn and cook for a further 4-5 minutes on the flesh side until the fish is cooked through.

Drain the potatoes, add 25g of butter and the chives and crush them together. Wipe out the frying pan again, put on the hob over a gentle heat and add the remaining butter. Once the butter has nearly melted, add the parsley and mix it in.

To Serve:

Place the crushed potatoes using a chefs ring in the centre of each plate and add a slice of crispy prosciutto on top. Slice the Sea Bass fillets in half and add one half on top of the prosciutto skin side up. place the other slice of prosciutto on top and the the other half of the fish on top of this, again skin side up. Drizzle the butter and parsley over and around the dish. Serve immediately and enjoy....