Grilled Sea Bass, Roasted Pepper & Anchoïade Vierge
Crisp-skinned sea bass served with a warm Mediterranean-style vierge of roasted sweet peppers, anchovy, parsley, garlic, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.
⭐ Have you tried this recipe? Click the stars to rate it and leave a quick comment below.
Print Pin RateServings: 4 Servings
Calories: 295kcal
Cost: £12.00
Equipment
- 1 Tray, for roasting peppers
- 1 Bowl, for mixing the Anchoïade
- 1 Heavy Frying Pan
Ingredients
Sea Bass
- 4 each Sea Bass Fillets, skin on and pin-boned Approximately 170–180g each (6–6½ oz each)
- 20 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil ⅔ fl oz
- 4 g Fine Sea Salt ¾ tsp
- 1 g Freshly Ground Black Pepper ¼ tsp
Roasted Pepper Anchoïade Vierge
- 2 each Red Sweet Peppers
- 1 each Yellow Sweet Pepper
- 6 each Anchovy Fillets in Oil, drained and finely chopped
- 2 each Garlic Cloves, finely grated
- 30 g Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped 1 oz
- 1 each Lemon, finely grated zest
- 30 ml Fresh Lemon Juice 1 fl oz
- 120 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 fl oz
- 15 ml Sherry Vinegar ½ fl oz
- 10 g Capers, rinsed and finely chopped ⅓ oz
- 2 g Freshly Ground Black Pepper ½ tsp
- Fine Sea Salt, as required
To Finish
- 10 g Flat-Leaf Parsley Leaves ⅓ oz
- 1 each Lemon cut into wedges
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
- Place the red and yellow peppers on a roasting tray and roast for approximately 25–30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skins are blistered and darkened. (This can be done faster over an open flame if you have one).
- Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Peel away the skins, remove the seeds and stalks and cut the flesh into small neat dice.
- Place the roasted peppers in a bowl while still slightly warm.
- Add the anchovies, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, sherry vinegar and capers and gradually stir in the extra virgin olive oil.
- Season with black pepper and taste before adding salt, as the anchovies and capers will already contribute considerable seasoning.
- Leave the anchoïade vierge to stand at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving so the flavours can develop.
- Pat the sea bass fillets completely dry and lightly score the skin at 2cm intervals, taking care not to cut deeply into the flesh.
- Brush with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a heavy frying pan or plancha over medium-high heat and place the sea bass skin-side down and press gently with a fish slice for the first 20–30 seconds to prevent curling.
- Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes until the skin is crisp and the flesh is nearly cooked through.
- Turn the fish and cook for a further 1–2 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Remove from the heat and rest briefly.
Presentation
- Spoon a generous line or pool of roasted pepper anchoïade vierge slightly off-centre on each warm plate.
- Place the sea bass over the dressing with the crisp skin uppermost.
- Spoon a little additional vierge around the fish, keeping the skin exposed and crisp and finish with fresh parsley leaves, a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a lemon wedge.
Notes
The anchoïade should taste savoury and bright rather than strongly fishy. The anchovy should dissolve into the dressing and act primarily as seasoning.
Use good-quality anchovies packed in olive oil. Salt-packed anchovies may also be used but should be rinsed and soaked briefly before chopping.
The peppers should retain some texture rather than being reduced to a purée.
Sherry vinegar adds a subtle second layer of acidity behind the lemon. Red wine vinegar may be substituted.
Capers are optional but work particularly well with sea bass, anchovy and roasted peppers.
Do not over-season the fish before cooking, as the vierge contains both anchovy and capers.
The dressing may be prepared several hours in advance but is best served at room temperature rather than chilled.
For an alternative fish, use sea bream, red mullet, snapper or firm white fish fillets of similar thickness.
Nutrition
Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 868IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Rate this Recipe
✨ Tried this recipe? We’d love your feedback! 💬 Leave a comment above and ⭐️ give it a star rating — it helps others and makes our kitchen happy too.