Pan Fried Sea Bass on a Pea & Mint Risotto

This dish is creamy, fresh and full of Spring flavours. It's my Pan Fried Sea Bass on a Pea & Mint Risotto.

Ingredients:

Large Fillets of Sea Bass

Arborio Risotto

1 Garlic Clove

1 Onion

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp of Dried Chilli

125-135ml of White Wine

Large jug of Chicken/Vegetable Stock

2 tbsp of Soft Cheese

2-3 handfuls of Fresh Peas

Fresh Mint Leaves

Fresh Spinach

Juice of half a Lemon

Fresh Parsley

1 Courgette

Fresh prawns (optional)

Method:

Heat a chunk of butter in a large pan or wok on a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions, crushed garlic, dried herbs and spices and allow to cook until the onions are soft and golden.

Once the onions have softened add the finely chopped courgette and stir the mixture together well. Pour in the wine little by little whilst stirring and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Add a handful of the fresh spinach and a few leaves of fresh mint and continue stirring.

While the pan is simmering on a low heat, take one handful of the fresh peas and place into a blender with a tablespoon of water and a few mint leaves. Blend the peas and leaves until they become a bright, green puree and then add to the large pan. Add the remaing fresh peas and mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly.

Once all of the vegetables have softened, turn the heat down low and add the Arborio Rice. Make sure all of the grains are nicely coated with the mixture and stir for approximately 1 minute.

Fill a jug with boiling water and add the Vegetable/Chicken Stock. Turn the heat back up to medium and pour in splashes of the stock little by litte, allowing the rice to soak up the first splash before adding the next. It should take roughly 30-35 minutes for the rice to be cooked thoroughly. Add more white wine and seasoning to taste as your stirring in the stock.

Once you are happy with the Risotto, allow it to simmer on the lowest heat and add 2 tablespoons of philadelphia or ricotta cheese. Mix the entire contents of the pan well.

Lay the fillets of a fish on a large chopping board and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

In a new pan, melt a chunk of butter on a high heat. Once the butter is simmering and spitting, carefully place the fillets skin down into the pan. Press it down gently with a spatula to enhance crisping of the skin and continue to spoon the butter and juices over it.

After a few minutes, the edges of the fillet will begin to cook. You should see the flesh becoming whiter. Once the the whitening effect has spread to the width of roughly a centimentre, scoop the fish up and check the crispness of the skin. If you are happy with it, continue cooking the fish on the opposite side on a slightly lower heat. Check frequently with a small fork every 30 seconds or so to see if it has softened and become flaky. The frying should take no more than 10 minutes.

To finish the dish, scoop a generous portion of the Risotto onto a plate, and top it with the crispy Sea Bass. Scatter the plate with a garnish of fresh mint, spinach and parsley and squeeze more lemon across the fish. Last but not least, drizzle a quick splash of olive oil around the circumference of the plate. If you decided to add the prawns, pop them on top of the fillets with a fresh mint leaf tucked into it.

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