Best Bass
This week, we’re turning the spotlight on to something special; some quite frankly ridiculously good wild sea bass. Feel free to drop by the shop if you’re in the neighbourhood, we’d be happy to give you a peek. There’s everything you need to know about this silvery meaty delight a bit further down, as well as a recipe to consider for the weekend. But first…
We want to showcase your skills!
At Sailbrand, we are as passionate about the end product as we are about the quality of what we supply and we absolutely love hearing from you. If you want us to feature your dish and business on our social media channels simply get in touch with us with a photo of your dish featuring Sailbrand produce and we’ll share it away! #sailbrand #freshfish #morethanjustseafood
Coming soon…
Starting next week we will be showcasing something a bit different to our usual posts…showcasing the amazing guys and girls that make things happen here at Sailbrand with a bit of a bio and hopefully a tasteful (cheesy) mugshot, so you can put a face to the name. It’s all part of our mission to be the friendliest, as well as the best quality, fish and seafood supplier in the North. Watch this space!
Fish of the Week: Sea Bass
An absolute beauty, this needs no introduction. But since I’m here, you really need to take advantage of this obscenely high quality wild bass. Available prepped or whole at a price that will surprise you and your customers, you have to see this stock to believe it, it’s crystal! For the more GP conscious of you, don’t forget we can also supply extremely good quality farmed sea bass in our sealpack boxes at a constantly low price, as an all year round alternative. Have a look at the recipe below and give the boys and girls in the office a call to discuss requirements.
Sea Bass with caramelised onion risotto, slow roast shallots and crispy shallot rings
This works equally well with either wild or farmed bass, so either way, we’ve got you covered! Many of the other ingredients used can be bought from Sailbrand too, give us a call and request a full brochure today.
Ingredients-Serves 4
- 4 Portions Sea Bass, scaled, filleted and trimmed
- 4 large white onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 banana shallots
- 200g arborio risotto rice
- 250 ml white wine
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 sprigs thyme
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Baby sorrel for garnish
- 100g grated parmesan cheese
Method:
First, make the onion puree by frying the chopped onion, garlic and thyme in a mixture of olive oil and butter until well caramelised, then add 200ml chicken stock and continue to cook until very soft. Blend well and pass through a sieve, reserving for later.
Then peel and slice 4 of the banana shallots and roast in a hot oven with olive oil and salt until charred and tender.
Next, make the risotto by sweating the rice in butter and olive oil until translucent, then adding the garlic and white wine and reducing until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add the remaining chicken stock, one ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked, remembering to stir constantly. Finish with a few knobs of cold butter and the parmesan, stirred in at the end, for an authentic Italian finish.
For the shallot rings, slice the remaining 2 banana shallots into rings and toss into flour and salt before deep frying until crispy. Reserve on kitchen roll to drain excess oil off.
Cook the sea bass on the skin side for 95% of the cooking to ensure the skin stays crispy and the flesh does not overcook. Baste in a little butter once turned to finish the cooking off. Then plate, adding the crispy shallot rings and baby sorrel at the very end.
