Whole sea bass en majesté
Pan-seared sea bass with crispy skin, served on a saffron potato purée, enhanced with a red bell pepper gel, thin spirals of crunchy vegetables, and coral tuiles.
The method
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01
Saffron mash & bell pepper gel preparation
Bake the potatoes on a bed of coarse salt at 180°C, then pass the flesh through a fine sieve. Infuse the Taliouine saffron in the hot cream (10 min). Whip with the potato flesh and cold diced butter until a frothy consistency is achieved (maintain at 55°C). Centrifuge the bell peppers, filter the juice, and reduce it by half at a boil, then bind with agar-agar to obtain a smooth gel to be put into a piping bag.
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02
Vegetable Ribbons & Coral Crisps
Mix the water, oil, flour, and paprika. Pour by the spoonful into a very hot pan to bubble and form the coral tuiles, then drain them on paper towels. Using a mandoline, cut thin strips of carrots and daikon radishes, wrap them around chopsticks, and plunge them into ice water to set the spirals.
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03
Cooking fish
Heat a stainless steel pan with grapeseed oil. Sear the sea bass fillets skin-side down under pressure for 30 seconds, then cook 90% through skin-side down over medium heat. Add a knob of butter off the heat to baste the flesh (target core temperature: 48°C).
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04
Horse training
Poach a smooth dome of saffron purée in the centre of the plate and draw two concentric rings around it. Dot the space between the rings with regular drops of bell pepper gel. Arrange the vegetable spirals, fine herbs, and flowers harmoniously. Gently place the sea bass fillet on the central dome, skin side up. Arrange the coral tuiles around it to add volume, then finish with a pinch of Atlas pink salt.