DELICATE WILD SEA BASS SERVED WITH GRILLED NEW POTATOES AND A FRESH SLAW.

Serves: 4-6 people

• EGG set up: This is an EGGspander cook. Set up your EGG using the ConvEGGtor basket, with Half Moon Baking Stone on the bottom-right side, Stainless Steel Grid on the top-right side, Half Moon Plancha on the bottom-left side and the Multi Level Rack on top
• Recommended charcoal: Eucalyptus
• EGG target temperature: 200C-220C
• Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

 

FOR THE SEA BASS

• 1kg wild sea bass, gutted
• 2 unwaxed lemons
• 3 generous handfuls of fennel fronds and stems
• Flaky sea salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bottle champagne or other sparkling wine

FOR THE GRILLED NEW POTATOES

• 500g new potatoes, cleaned
• 200g butter
• Leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme
• Rapeseed oil
• Salt and Pepper

FOR THE SLAW

• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 150ml olive oil
• 300 rapeseed oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bulbs of fennel
• 300g asparagus
• 4 carrots
• 1 large leek
• A small handful of roughly chopped parsley

MENU

Roast wild sea bass

Grilled new potatoes

Grilled slaw

OVERVIEW

The centrepiece for this recipe is a magnificent line-caught wild sea bass from your friends at Wright Brothers. By using the EGGspander system, you can cook the fish and both of the side dishes at the same time, allowing them all to benefit from the flavour-enhancing qualities of the EGG’s heat and smoke. The main modes you’ll be using grilling and roasting, but you’ll be steaming the fish for a while as well. As befits such a regal fish, though, you won’t be steaming it in anything as mundane as water- you’ll be using champagne! Quality, through and through.

This recipe is designed for Large and XL owners who have an EGGspander System, a helpful accessory that allows you to cook or reheat several dishes at once, as well as cooking directly and indirectly simultaneously. 

If you own a different sized Egg or are not in possession of an EGGspander, you can of course cook all the elements one at a time. 

PREPARE YOUR FISH

Slice the lemon into rounds and roughly chop your fennel stems and fronds. Place 3-4 lemon slices inside the fish, along with some fennel fronds. Season the cavity with olive oil, salt and pepper. On the top and bottom side of the fish, make 3-4 slashes 5mm in depth, aligned with the side of the fish. Rub the fish all over with olive oil.

MAKE YOUR MAYO

With all the ingredients at room temperature, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, add the Dijon mustard then the vinegar. Season with a good pinch each of salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Combine the olive oil with 150ml rapeseed oil, then add this oil drop by drop to the bowl, while vigorously whisking. Make sure each bit of oil has been thoroughly mixed before adding the next. The mayo will now start to thicken.

SLICE YOUR SLAW

With a good knife, halve your carrots, leek and asparagus length ways, then quarter your fennel bulbs.

ROAST YOUR FISH

Burp your EGG and place down your bed of fennel stems and fronds on the Half Moon Stainless Steel Grid, then place the sea bass on top. Place more fennel fronds into the incisions you have made and arrange the remaining lemon slices on top of the fish. Close the EGG and roast for 15 minutes.

GRILL THE POTATOES

Toss your potatoes with some rapeseed oil and the thyme leaves and place on the griddle, then close your EGG. Once they have gained some good colour and char, place them on the Multi Level Grid above the fish to cook through.

GRILL THE VEG FOR THE SLAW

Mix the slices of carrot, leek, asparagus and fennel with 150ml of rapeseed oil, burp your EGG and grill the vegetables in batches. Pay attention: we want caramelisation and charred bits on all veg but we don’t want it to be cooked all the way through- we want some snap and bite in our slaw. Once each batch is done, put aside in a flat roasting tray.

SPRAY THE BUBBLY

After the fish has been cooking for 15 minutes, burp the EGG and open the sparkling wine. With your thumb over the top, shake the bottle so that it sprays the fish with a fine mist of wine. This will not just make the fish ultra-moist, it will provide extra sweetness and acidity. Close the dome and and cook for a further 10 minutes or so.

Once the grilled vegetables for the slaw are cool enough to handle, use your good knife to slice them into long but chunky ribbons.

MIX MIX  MIX

Mix in the mayo with the vegetables. How much? This is about personal taste- a lot of mayo if you want a more traditional slaw, or just a little if you want the smokiness of the charred vegetables to come through.

DRESS YOUR SPUDS

The potatoes are done when they’re soft to touch but break apart with that wonderful, waxy texture. Remove from the EGG, add butter and season with salt and pepper. Mix until the butter has melted, then serve.

When the sea bass reaches an internal temperature of 62C, remove it with a wide spatula onto a serving board or platter. Portion it in front of your guests at the table with a glass of the bubbles.