Clare Smyth’s sea bass with shellfish and sea vegetable minestrone

By Clare Smyth.

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Ingredients

Sea Bass

  • 4 x 125g portions of sea bass (skin removed)

Brine

  • 50g smoked salt
  • 50g sugar
  • 6g Kombu
  • 1 litre water

Bass Braising Liquor

  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 10 button mushrooms
  • 4 long shallots finely sliced
  • 400ml Noilly Pratt
  • 1.5litr fish stock
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1/4 Bay leaf
  • 1 clove of garlic

Garganelli

  • 250g pasta flour
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1oml olive oil

Shellfish

  • 200g razor clams
  • 200g large mussels
  • 200g clams
  • 200g small diced mirepoix
  • 150ml white wine

Shellfish Broth

  • 2 litres vegetable stock
  • 100ml white wine
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 6 button mushroom
  • 2 spring onions
  • 2 long shallots
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Shellfish cooking juices

Coco Beans

  • 100g fresh coco beans
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 250ml water
  • 1 bouquet gami (garlic, thyme, bay and black peppercorns)

Lovage Oil

  • 2 bunches lovage
  • 250ml olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar to taste

Sea Vegetables

  • 50g rock samphire
  • 50g marsh samphire
  • 30g sea beet
  • 30g sea purslane

To Finish

  • 12 Nasturtium leaves
  • 12 sea purslane
  • 12 borage shoots
  • 12 land of sea shoots
  • 12 Pennywort
  • Lemon zest and juice

Method

  1. To make the brine: Blend ingredients together and mix the water. Place the fish portions in the brine for 7 minutes. Then remove, pat dry, wrap in cling film to shape, vacuum pack them and cook for 14 minutes in a 54ºc water bath.

  2. For the bass braising liquor: Sweat the shallots and mushrooms in the butter until tender; do not colour. Add garlic, thyme and bay along with the Noilly Pratt, reduce by half, add the stock and bring to the boil, reduce by half again then pass through a fine chinois and emulsify.

  3. To make the pasta: place the flour and salt into a food processor. Turn on the machine and gradually add the eggs and olive oil until a fine crumb is achieved. Then turn the dough out on to the work surface and knead for 5 minutes. Tightly wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Once rested, roll and work the pasta using a pasta machine to a finished thickness of 2mm. Cut into 2cm x 2cm squares. Take each square and roll around a 2mm dowel from one point to the other and secure with a little water. Remove the dowel and place on a pasta drying rack. To cook the pasta, cook in seasoned boiling water for 3 minutes until tender. Refresh and store until later.

  4. For the Shellfish: Wash all the shellfish under running cold water for 20 minutes. Drain the water. Place 3 small lidded pans on the stove and heat. Divide the mirepoix between the shellfish. One at a time, add the shellfish to the pans with the mirepoix and 50ml of white wine in each; quickly replacing the lids. Cook on a high heat until the shellfish from the shells and clean and trim them. The razor clams need to be cut on the diagonal (ususally 5 slices per clam). Set aside in the fridge.

  5. For the Shellfish Broth: Wash and finely slice the veg. Place all the ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until 1/3 reduced. To finish the broth use th shellfish cooking juices. Season to taste.

  6. For the Coco Beans: Place all the ingredients in a cocotte and bring to a simmer. Season and cook gently until the beans are tender. Once ready, cool the beans in a liquor and store in the fridge for later.

  7. For the Lovage Oil: Wash and pick the lovage. Place all the ingredients into a Thermo Mix and blend on full speed for 3 minutes at 70ºc. Season and cool down over ice bath. Once cool, hang in muslin cloth for 12 hours in the fridge.

  8. For the Sea Vegetables: Wash, trim and pick the sea leaves. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds and refresh.

  9. To Serve: Place the sea bass portions into the braising liquor for 3-4 minutes. Mix together the coco beans, shellfish, sea vegetables and Garganelli to make the Minestrone. Lightly warm through. Season and finish with a little lemon juice and fresh zest. Arrange the Minestrone in the centre of a bowl. Place the sea bass on top with the herbs and shoots. Bring the broth to the boil and, right at the end add 2 tablepsoons of lovage oil.