Sea bass with orange and fennel
Pietro SalonnaWhen buying sea bass, go for a medium-sized fish of around one kilo: it's the size that gives the most flavourful flesh without the risk of uneven cooking you get with larger fish. Ask your fishmonger to scale and gut it but leave it whole — cooking it this way keeps all the juices inside, and you'll thank yourself when it comes to filleting. The ideal oranges are Tarocco or Moro, whose slightly bitter edge balances the sweetness of the fennel rather than adding to it.
A trick that makes all the difference: once you've sliced the fennel, leave it in iced water for ten minutes before using it. It becomes even crunchier and loses the slightly grassy aftertaste that can sometimes be overpowering. To drink, a Vermentino di Gallura or a mature Fiano di Avellino stands up beautifully to the complexity of the dish. Don't throw away the green fennel fronds: finely chopped, they make a wonderfully fragrant finish to scatter over the fish just before serving.
Sea bass with orange and fennel tastes of the winter sea and of Mediterranean cooking as we have always known it: simple, elegant and built around a few carefully chosen ingredients. The orange brings its sunny sweetness, the fennel a crisp, aniseed note, and the sea bass the delicacy of its white flesh.
It's a recipe that works as well for dinner with friends as for Sunday lunch — it's ready in just over half an hour, yet it has all the presence of a restaurant dish.
Recipe info
Indicative values. Calories may vary depending on the ingredients used.
Ingredients
- 2 sea bass fillets, about 200 g each
- 2 unwaxed oranges
- 1 medium fennel bulb
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Fine salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Method
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1
Prepare the fennel and orange
Slice the fennel thinly, about half a centimetre thick, and dress it in a bowl with oil, salt and pepper. Peel an orange with a knife, removing the pith, and cut it into rounds about one centimetre thick. Keep the green fennel fronds for garnish.
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2
Prepare the sea bass
Rinse the fillets under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Make two or three light diagonal cuts in the skin to stop it curling during cooking. Season both sides lightly with salt.
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3
Assemble the tray
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the fennel slices in an even layer and scatter half the orange slices on top, creating an aromatic bed for the fish.
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4
Add the sea bass
Lay the fillets skin-side down on the bed of fennel and orange. Arrange the remaining orange slices over the fillets, add the fresh thyme and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.
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5
Bake
Bake at 200 °C (fan) for 20-22 minutes, until the skin is lightly golden and the flesh flakes with a fork. For the last two minutes, switch on the grill for deeper colour.
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6
Finish with orange juice
As soon as the tray comes out of the oven, squeeze half a tablespoon of fresh orange juice over the hot fillets to lift the citrus aroma and balance the richness of the oil.
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7
Plate and serve
Arrange the fennel and caramelised orange slices on the plate, lay the fillet on top and garnish with the green fennel fronds. Serve immediately.
Products used in this recipe
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