Apple and fennel stuffed sea bass with cider reduction

I remember well the day that Virginia, author of the gastronomic blog Sweet&Sour , told me that she had prepared a sea bass for that weekend that, in a very simple way, had turned out like a movie. I, who is familiar with her recipes and photos as many of you already know, was dying to see the recipe. And here it is! As I was speechless, I won't say any more. Just enjoy!

As much as I like fish, I confess that I almost always enjoy it grilled or baked, clean, without grease or smears. In my country, this is how we usually enjoy good raw material. But it is also true that I like to change and try new combinations of products.

At home, I have told you on many occasions that they are very classic, the custom..., but it is also true that little by little they are opening up to trying new products, and combinations, in traditional dishes.

This is what happens with this sea bass stuffed with apple and fennel with cider sauce. My ribs fell in love with its charms!!! And don't think it's easy.

In this case, the combination of the cider, with its strong touch, with the sweetness of the apple and the roasted fennel inside the sea bass, create a perfect combination, which your guests will find difficult to resist. Then the texture of the sea bass meat does the rest, juicy but smooth, in contrast to the creaminess of the apple....

I have used two sea bass as a portion, obviously farmed, because there are only two of us at home, but if you choose a good wild specimen, I cannot answer for what your guests will say.

As you can see, I roasted them in the Le Creuset roasting tray , which with its non-stick surface prevents these delicious sea bass from sticking to the bottom, even if we use, as you will see, only a little bit of oil. In addition, as it has a griddle at the base to distribute the heat, it can be used as a griddle on ceramic and induction cooktops. In fact, you could make this recipe in this tray directly on your vitro hob, but for my taste it is better and tastier in the oven.

Let's go with the recipe that is simple but luxurious:

INGREDIENTS: (For 2-3 servings)

• 1 wild sea bass weighing 1,250 gr. or 2 farmed sea bass.
• 1 red apple (Red Delicious or Royal Gala)
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 750 ml dry cider (not sweet and still)
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
• Salt
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

PREPARATION:

We begin by preparing the cider reduction:

Put the cider in a medium saucepan with the crushed mustard seeds, fennel seeds and 1/4 teaspoon of crushed peppercorns. Bring to a boil and reduce over medium-high heat until it forms a thick sauce similar to roast gravy. This will take about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of butter to give it shine and consistency. Keep warm.

Once our cider reduction is ready, we preheat the oven to 180ºC, top and bottom heat.

Next we get to the Apple and Fennel filling: It is important to choose red apples, because as we are going to cook them with their skin, they will give a touch of colour. They have to be apples with a touch of crunch and a certain sweetness, to mark the counterpoint with the acidity of the cider. The apples you see in the Kitchen Craft basket are of the Red Delicious and Royal Gala varieties, and for my taste the best for this recipe.

We wash our apple and fennel well. We remove the top of the fennel, with the fuzz, and make slices with both.

I like to do this process with the Buyer Ultra mandolin , because it allows me to obtain slices of the same thickness, which cook evenly. We choose a cutting thickness of about 3.4 mm, using the guides that the mandolin has in the upper area and we place the blade on the smooth area. We place the apple or fennel on top and, using the safety knob (which I have not photographed so that you can see the operation better, but which you should use to avoid cutting yourself), we slide the apple over the blade from top to bottom and start again. In a matter of seconds we have ready slices of apple and fennel that will fall directly onto the tray. And by the way, cleaning couldn't be easier.

Once we have the fennel and apple sliced, we put our Le Creuset skillet on the heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. When it has melted and is hot, we add the slices of apple and fennel and let it cook on medium heat for about 6 or 7 minutes. Just enough for them to cook slightly but still remain a little crunchy. We set aside.

Our filling is ready, let's move on to the sea bass:

First of all, if the fishmonger hasn't already done so, we scale it, open it, gut it and clean it very well. We remove the head and open it like a book, removing the central spine.

If you are not very good with fish, it is better to have it done at the fishmonger's. It won't cost them anything and it will take us more time and it will certainly not be the same.

Next, we season it with salt and pepper and glaze it with cider reduction.

We fill it with apple and fennel slices and tie it well with twine so that it keeps its shape when cooked and the filling does not escape.

Once our sea bass is ready, we also season it on the outside and glaze it with more cider reduction.

We coat the inside of our "Le Creuset" baking tray with a little oil, using a silicone brush , and place the two stuffed sea bass inside.

We spread the rest of the cider reduction over the sea bass. Ready. Ready to go into the oven.

Bake for 15-10 minutes, depending on the size of your sea bass. The meat should be white, not translucent, this will be a way to know if the fish is cooked. If you have any doubts, carefully open the thickest part of the sea bass and if that part is white, your sea bass is done. In any case, you should know that when it comes to fish, the cooking point is essential and it is better not to overcook it, so that it does not become dry and to be able to preserve the juicy texture that we should find in the meat of our sea bass.

We take them out of the oven and remove the thread that holds them together and they are ready to enjoy.

We served it with a rocket and cherry tomato salad and of course with a good cider.

A special and simple dish that, without much effort, will make you look like kings in front of your guests. The juicy and tender sea bass meat with the strong touch of the cider reduction with mustard and fennel and the sweetness of the inner filling of apple and fennel, make it an exquisite morsel!!!

Tips

- You can also prepare this recipe with salmon or sea bream.

- If you can't find mustard seeds, that would be a shame, but be sure to try the recipe without them.

Enjoy.

Virginia