Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Sea Bass San Sebastian – Haven’t Been There, Done That

You do not have to go to a place, to be inspired by their food. In fact, it’s a lot cheaper, and easier if you don’t. So, as I stated in the into, this Chilean sea bass San Sebastian is the result of a little culinary mind game I play, where I try to invent a recipe that I think could/would be served there, and this is one of those dishes.

I love the technique of spreading a flavored mayo, or aioli over a piece of fish, before roasting it in a very hot oven. Not only does it keep the seafood moist, we don’t have to worry about making a sauce when it’s done. Another advantage is that by simply changing the seasoning of the sauce, we can create countless variations.

This will work with any piece of fish you can cut into a thick chunk, but Chilean sea bass is my favorite choice. By the way, that’s just the name it’s commonly sold by. Its real name is the much less marketable “Patagonian toothfish.” Mmm….toothfish. Due to past overfishing, much of it illegal, Chilean sea bass has landed on lots of “do not eat this” lists, but there are sustainable sources available.

I got mine from Markfoods.com, which is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), and the quality was top notch. This is not a sponsored post, but in the spirit of full disclose, the fish seen herein was a complimentary sample sent to me by my friend Kevin, who runs the operation. Regardless, this was one of the best fish dishes I’ve had in a while, and I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!



Ingredients for 2 servings:
1 pound Chilean sea bass filet, cut into two portions
kosher salt to generously season fish
For the sauce/crust:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed fine
cayenne to taste
whole roasted Marcona almonds for grating, or any other whole almond
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 hot or sweet red or green pepper, sliced
handful halved sun gold cherry tomatoes

9 comments:

Sandra said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Quincy said...

Love to listen and watch Chef John do his recipes! Lots of good ideas and always a laugh or chuckle! I think some of his little word jokes are really funny. I've made several of the recipes and always make the kumquat marmalade each year when my trees are over producing. Delicious! There are several other of his recipes I use, but this is the first time I've written a comment.
I just hope you keep on making these recipe videos, Chef John, because they make my day and I learn something nearly every time. By the way: 75 years old and still cooking and learning! Thank you so much!

cookinmom said...

Okkk...you're killin me!(drool). What other fish can you do with this?

PattiAnn said...

Hello Chef John. I'm not trying to be flip, but I'm going to try this sauce & technique on skin on chicken breast which I just deboned. This sauce looked so good I couldn't wait to try it and I already had my chicken prepped, and you said the sauce was versatile.

Also could you please suggest a good boning knife. I have been through several & I haven't been able to find one that is sharp enough and can keep an edge. Any recommendations are appreciated.

Love Food Wishes...you are a great teacher. Been a long time follower.Thanks.
Pat

AnonyMomma said...

Non-sequitur, but I wanted to tell you that my husband made your stroganoff for my birthday tonight at my request. It was a huge hit, and my thirteen year old daughter loved it so much she said, "can we adopt Chef John?" :) Thanks for a great birthday meal!

Unknown said...

This came out fantastic. I mixed in a little mustard powder, chives and fish sauce to my not-aioli and it really complimented the rest of the flavours. Method wise I think this recipe works with a ton of stuff as well so a good addition to the cooking repertoire.

tim said...

Made it last nite ...pretty darn good...easy

Alex in Shanghai said...

Looks amazing! Will have to hunt for similar cut of fish here in BJ. Might cheat and go with salmon, because I have a great connect for that, and your flavored mayo on salmon recipe base has been a real source of joy for me and my family this year. Thank you, chef!

Unknown said...

I was planning to go to San Sebastian in a few weeks after I saw this recipe, so I made it and it was great. I then went to San Sebastian and ate at some of the better places like Gandarias and Saltxipi and your recipe was equally as good if not better than what I had the whole time in San Sebastian, and along the coast of Spain in other towns, with the exception that I had seared foie gras a couple of times and nothing beats seared foie gras. If I was to make your recipe more like San Sebastian it would have a few slices of garlic sauted in olive oil and added at the end, and they would have used the local espelette peppers which are deeper flavored and not spicy at all as far as I remember. All the fish had a heavily perfumed garlicky olive oil on it. All the food was good there but kind of plain for my taste. Very high quality ingredients cooked with great care but a very limited spice pallet and no herbs. I loved your version and have made it again since I have been back exactly as your recipe. I love your videos and have made several other recipes and enjoyed all of them and I sent your Hot and Sweet Mustard chicken thighs to friends. Thanks for doing what you do and playing the "if I lived there" game.