Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 500 g baby potatoes, halved
- 250 g cherry tomatoes, whole
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 garlic, whole head, top cut off
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 4 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Tapenade Crostini
- 1 baguette, sliced into 12 rounds
- 150 g pitted kalamata olives, drained well
- 30 g capers, drained
- 10 g anchovy fillets, oil-packed
- 1 garlic, clove
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Black Sea Bass
- 600 g black sea bass fillets, skin-on
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 30 ml grapeseed oil
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 3 g fresh thyme, whole sprigs
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the halved baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, red onion wedges, and the whole garlic head (cut-side up) with extra virgin olive oil, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Spread the vegetable mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the tomatoes have blistered.
While the vegetables roast, combine kalamata olives, capers, anchovy fillets, garlic clove, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until a coarse paste forms. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.
Arrange the baguette slices on a separate baking sheet. Toast in the oven during the last 5-7 minutes of the vegetables' roasting time until crisp and golden.
Thoroughly pat the sea bass fillets dry with paper towels. Lightly score the skin side of each fillet with 2-3 shallow, diagonal cuts to prevent curling. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat grapeseed oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place the fillets skin-side down in the pan. Immediately press down firmly on each fillet with a fish spatula for 30 seconds to ensure even skin contact. Sear undisturbed for 4 minutes.
Carefully flip the fish. Reduce heat to medium, add butter and thyme sprigs to the pan. Continuously spoon the melting, foaming butter over the fish for 1-2 minutes until cooked through. Internal temperature should reach 63°C/145°F.
Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven. Carefully squeeze the softened garlic cloves out of their skins directly onto the vegetables, discarding the skins. Toss gently to distribute the roasted garlic.
Generously spread the prepared olive tapenade over each toasted baguette slice to create the crostini.
Divide the hot roasted vegetable mixture among warm plates. Rest a pan-seared sea bass fillet, skin-side up, over the vegetables. Serve immediately with 3 tapenade crostini per plate.
Chef's Notes
- Scoring the fish skin breaks the connective tissue, preventing the fillet from severely curling when it hits the intense heat of the pan.
- Pressing the fish firmly with a spatula for the very first 30 seconds of searing forces maximum surface contact, resulting in an exceptionally crispy skin.
- Squeezing the roasted garlic out of its paper and tossing it with the piping hot vegetables effectively creates a creamy, sweet, rustic garlic sauce without any extra effort.
- Ensure the sea bass skin is bone-dry before searing. Moisture creates steam, which is the enemy of a crisp crust. A paper towel pat-down is mandatory.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store components separately. Tapenade keeps for up to 2 weeks.
Reheating: Reheat vegetables in a 175C/350F oven until warm. Fish is best consumed fresh, but can be gently reheated in a low oven.
