SAUCE MAGAZINE
Posted On: 02/02/2009
Go ahead, let your good times roll. Afterward, we’ve got just the thing for your Lenten repast: Tuscan sea bass from Sidney Street Café, where chef Kevin Nashan uses sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary and Asiago cheese to evoke the flavors of sunny Italy. We bet you don’t limit this fish to Fridays.
Tuscan Sea Bass
Courtesy of Sidney Street Café’s Kevin Nashan
6 servings
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 shallot, julienned
2 to 3 sprigs thyme
1½ tsp. ground marjoram
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. double cream
6 6-oz. pieces sea bass
2 cups plain bread crumbs, toasted
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 oz. Asiago cheese, grated
1 Tbsp. rosemary, minced
Sun-dried tomato relish (recipe follows)
Flour, for dredging
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. water
Grape seed oil
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent.
• Add the thyme and marjoram, then deglaze the pot with the white wine and stock.
• Reduce the sauce by 1/3, then stir in the double cream.
• Strain and reserve.
• Add the bread crumbs, cheeses, rosemary and ½ cup tomato relish to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse lightly until everything is incorporated.
• In a shallow pan or dish, season the flour to taste with salt and pepper.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs with the water and beat well.
• Pat the sea bass dry with a paper towel and then bread each piece by dredging it in the flour, then dipping it in the egg wash and finally in the bread crumb mixture.
• Sauté the breaded fish in grape seed oil over a medium to high flame until the fish is golden brown.
• Finish the fish in the oven until cooked through.
• To serve, top each piece of fish with a spoonful of the reserved sun-dried tomato relish and a bit of the sauce.
Sun-dried Tomato Relish
1 onion, small dice
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
4 cups small dice sun-dried tomatoes
1 fennel bulb, small dice
¾ tsp. cayenne
5 sprigs thyme
1½ tsp. oregano
¼ cup dry vermouth
½ cup Marsala wine
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
• In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, garlic and jalapeño over medium heat for a few minutes.
• Add the sun-dried tomatoes, fennel, cayenne and the herbs and slowly continue to sauté. Deglaze with the spirits and lemon juice and continue to cook gently on low heat until the liquid is cooked out.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and reserve.
