It costs an insane amount of money to live in beautiful San Diego, but you get good food, perfect weather, and the beach. You just have to pay through the nose for it. The access to fresh produce and fish is unreal. I found some delightfully fresh Sea Bass at my local Farmer's Market and decided to cook it up based on a dish I had seen on Bravo's Top Chef. I love Top Chef because there isn't usually the drama associated with, say, popular reality cooking shows on network TV. They try to keep it about the food. Every once in a while on the show you end up with a bully chef (or chefs) and an easy target. Chef Beverly Kim was an easy target and my heart ached for her. If you didn't watch that season then you have no idea what I'm talking about. You just need to know that she made great food on the show. For a Quickfire Challenge she made a really delicious looking Sea Bass so I looked up the recipe on Bravotv.com (those recipes can be vague and very hard to follow) and adapted it for the home chef. The result is a 5 star fish dish that is simple to make for the home chef. The fish is delicate and sweet served over a bed of spicy avocado, and topped off with some delicious sauteed mushrooms. It is light and flavorful and the combination of flavors sings in your mouth.
Ingredients
2 filets Sea Bass
1 avocado, diced small
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red radish, diced small
2 limes, juiced
2 leaves basil, chopped
4 leaves cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp ginger, minced
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
1. Make the avocado "salsa" by combining the diced avocado, minced jalapeno, minced garlic, diced radish, the juice of 1 of the limes, and the basil and cilantro in a small bowl. Stir together and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add in the minced onion and mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes. Add in the juice of the other lime, soy sauce, and minced ginger. Saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside (keeping warm).
3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Cook the sea bass by searing it skin side down first. It should take about 4 minutes per side to cook through (actual cooking time will depend on the thickness of your filet). The fish is done when it can flake easily with a fork.
4. Serve the fish on a bed of the avocado salsa and top with the mushroom mixture and juices.
