Sea BREAM & Melted LEEKS

A LITTLE ABOUT THE FISH

Sea Bream are a variety of fish species that are very popular for eating, an esteemed food fish, especially in Europe. The most common variety in this group is the European Sea Bream, mainly silver in colour, it is commonly found in oceans surrounding Europe and is considered to be a temperate-water fish, preferring water that is cool, but not extremely cold. Despite their popularity as seafood, these species remain very plentiful throughout. Sea Bream have traditionally been cultured extensively in coastal lagoons and saltwater ponds and has become an important aquaculture species, primarily in the Mediterranean area. Current reported production dwarfs the capture fisheries production. Sea Bream are sought after because of their mild, white meat, considered some of the best of any white-meat fish.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 Sea Bream Fillets
Salt and Black Pepper
8 Baby Leeks
1 tbsp Olive Oil
150g Butter
2 tbsp chopped chives
4 tbsp chopped parsley

 Method:

Cut off the dark green leaves from the tops of the leeks, slit the leeks about half way down the centre and rinse well under cold running water, then slice into thin rounds. Melt 50g of butter in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat, when the butter foams, add the sliced leeks and gently toss until coated with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a paper lid and a tight-fitting saucepan lid. reduce the heat and cook very gently for about 20 minutes until the leeks are soft and moist. Check and stir every now and then and add a couple of tablespoons of water if necessary.

Score the Sea Bream fillets lightly on the skin side and season with salt. Take a non-stick frying pan and place it on the hob over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and a little butter and place the fish skin side down,cook until the skin is crisp and the flesh is almost totally cooked through, then turn over and cook for a further 20 seconds on the flesh side. Remove from the pan.

Wipe out the frying pan, put on the hob over a gentle heat and add the remaining butter. Once the butter has nearly melted, add the parsley and stir it in well.

To Serve:

Place the melted leeks using a chefs ring in the centre of each warmed plate and add Sea Bass fillet on top skin side up. Drizzle the butter and parsley around the dish. Serve immediately and enjoy....