Thyme-seared sea bass with pan-fried prawn beignets and vanilla butter

Ingredients (serves four)

250g unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1/5 bunch thyme leaves, picked
Salt and pepper
4 x 120g sea bass with skin, scaled and pin-boned
100g shallots
200ml Noilly Prat
1 large vanilla pod, split and scraped
1 litre fish stock
2tbs of cream
200g fine French beans
8 whole baby fennel
10tsp olive oil

For the prawn beignets

50g shallots, chopped
80g prawns, peeled
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2tsp chilli, finely chopped
10g chopped parsley
2tbs choux pastry
Salt and pepper

MethodPlace a small hotpan on a stove. Put in 100g butter and melt until nut-brown. Add half the lemon juice and the thyme and seasoning. Take from heat and allow to cool. Score four cuts across sea bass skin. Pour thyme butter and lemon juice in each cut. Place on a tray and store in fridge.

Sweat shallots in a little of the remaining butter. Add Noilly Prat. Reduce by half and add vanilla pod. Add fish stock and reduce by half. Remove pod and let the stock cool.

To make the beignets, pan-fry the shallots, prawns, garlic and chilli. Blend for about 10 seconds but do not purée. Add chopped parsley and place in a fridge to cool. When cool, add 2tbs of choux pastry, mix thoroughly, then season. Place in a fridge. Blanch green beans and baby fennel in seasoned water and place in iced water.

To finish: in two non-stick frying pans put olive oil and knobs of butter. Season sea bass, skin side down, in one frying pan. Cook for three to four minutes until skin is crispy. Turn over and cook for a further two or three minutes in oven preset at 190ºC. When cooked, place on kitchen roll to absorb excess fat.

Divide the fritter mix into walnut-sized pieces and flatten lightly. In the other hot pan, add beignets. Brown both sides and place in oven for five minutes. Pan-fry baby fennel in butter until golden brown. Quickly pan-fry French beans to keep green colour. Season and keep warm in colander.

To finish the sauce, reheat about 200ml of the vanilla stock in a pan. Add cream and bring to the boil. Place a cold knob of butter in sauce. Take off the heat and whisk in butter. Season to taste. Season the beignets. Place them in the centre of a plate and arrange two baby fennel on top. Place beans around baby fennel and lay the sea bass on top, skin side up. Pour the sauce around the plate.

Photo © Tom Stockill