September 4th, 2010
Apple Lacquered Chilean Sea Bass over Savory Fennel-Butternut Squash Bread Puddingwith Asparagus, Spaghetti Squash and Apple Beurre Blanc |
Chilean Sea Bass has been a “hands off” fish for a number of years due to sustainability issues. But now Seafood Watch reports that there is a sustainable option for Chilean Sea Bass which I hope to utilize occasionally.
I am working on a new dish for an up-coming event and need a small appetizer or large amuse bouche item. I thought I would kill two birds at once and develop an entree version as a fall menu item as well. Here is my entree version. The amuse bouche version will not include the asparagus, squash or beurre blanc, but will include smaller versions of the Bread Pudding, Chilean Sea Bass, Apple Lacquer and something for a garnish.
The dots in the Beurre Blanc are drops of the Apple Lacquer. The dark specs on the Chilean Sea Bass is parsley which I should have spread more evenly and chopped a little finer. I love the lattice or fan design of the asparagus. I used the spaghetti squash to cover the bottoms of the asparagus, thus giving more “flow” and balance to the design. There is some thyme in the bread pudding, so I used thyme as a garnish. The savory bread pudding is exactly that… savory, not sweet like a dessert bread pudding. I designed it as an accompaniment, and as a way to get “elevation” on the plate. A key component of plate composition is “elevation”. Of course, when the Chef asks for elevation on the plate, the cooks will usually make some unsavory suggestions!
Had to show you my Shun Chef Knife!! Love it!
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Comments from before Site Migration
Your recipe looks delicious, though I hope your readers will consider doing it with a better choice of fish, such as sable. Chilean Sea Bass is an extremely endangered fish harvested in very unsustainable fisheries. For more information on it and many other endangered fish, as well as good, sustainable alternatives, please visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program
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Kurt, thank-you for your kind comment. And for your conscientious comment about the sustainability of Chilean Sea Bass, I should have added info re: it into the post. There is some Chilean Sea Bass which is considered sustainable. Here is a quote from the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program’s page on Chilean Sea Bass:
“… a small fishery exists that has made improvements in their fishing gear – to reduce seabird bycatch, and in their management plan – to end overfishing. In March 2004, the South Georgia Patagonian Toothfish Longline Fishery was certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Since only a small portion of the Chilean seabass available in the U.S. is MSC certified, consumers must be very careful. Each location that sells MSC products, including all restaurants and grocery stores, are required to have the MSC “Chain of Custody” certification. Legitimate purveyors should be able to produce this document when asked and, without this proof, consumers should assume the fish in not certified and shouldn’t make the purchase.