Pan Seared Sea Bass With Tomatoes, Chorizo and Chickpeas

I have the best fishmonger around. He always has a large selection of fresh seafood, caught locally that day. Today he had about ten wild seabass. Farmed is good but wild is out of this world gorgeous.

So I purchased one. It was only my wife an me eating. I would have loved to purchase more but that would have been a bit greedy.

I usually purchase my seabass whole and then fillet them myself when I get home. The bones and head are delicious for making stocks and soups. I bone the fish by hand without a knife. I would love to show you how to do this but it proved a bit difficult boning and photographing all at the same time.

You could of course ask your fish monger to fillet the fish for you and then keep the bones. Why didn't I think of that before now?

I must be losing it a bit.

When searing seabass, it is important to get all of the moisture out of the skin. If you don't the skin won't get crispy and you will be left with a wet, oily fish on your plate.

Try scraping the skin with a chefs knife a few times. You will see the moisture coming out as you do.

By the way, the sauce that I served the bass on is also good on it's own or over pasta. The sauce and the seabass together were a real treat.

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Recipe

Spanish Seared Seabass With Tomatos, Chorizo and Chickpeas

Yield: 2 - 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 large wild seabass
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 200g Spanish chorizo - cut into small circles.
• 1 large onion - finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
• 500ml (2 cups) tomato passata
• 1 tablespoons Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 x 400ml tin of chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Fillet your seabass and then cut them into two to four pieces.
2. Score the skin in several places.
3. Sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Now make your tomato, chorizo and chickpea sauce.
5. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large wok or pan.
6. Add the chopped onions and sizzle for about five minutes until the onion is translucent and soft.
7. Throw in your chorizo and brown on both sides.
8. Now add the chopped garlic, paprika, fennel seeds and herbs and stir it all up to combine.
9. Pour in the chickpeas followed by the tomato passata and simmer while you sear your seabass.
10. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
11. When the oil is hot, add the sea bass skin side down. You may need to press the fillet down in the oil so that the skin sears evenly.
12. Fry until you see that the fish is about 80% cooked through.
13. Flip to cook the other side.
14. To serve, Season the sauce with salt and pepper and place a few spoonfuls on two to four warm plates.
15. Top the sauce with a piece of seabass. Done!