Sea Bass with Roasted Veg Tagliatelle

 

Pan fried sea bass fillet on roasted vegetables tagliatelle bed

I have always thought that sea bass is a hugely under-rated fish. It can be fished for and caught from a great many beaches around Scotland, as well as from both pleasure and commercial boats out at sea. It is also readily available in most supermarkets and fishmongers in modern times. Perhaps it is simply the price that puts people off (it can be even more expensive than haddock or cod), or is it not knowing how to cook it? Whatever the reason for its apparent lack of popularity, I know that I love it and have cooked and enjoyed it in a great many ways over the years. In this instance, I pan fried a sea bass fillet before serving it on a bed of roasted vegetables infused tagliatelle pasta, accompanied by a quick and easy made tomato and balsamic chutney on a toasted onion ciabatta bread roll.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 35 min

Ready in: 50 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 12 small cherry tomatoes (6 for chutney and 6 for roasting)
• 2 large garlic cloves (1 for chutney and 1 for roasting with vegetables)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (1 for chutney, 2 for roasting vegetables, 2 for frying fish)
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 medium to large courgette (zucchini)
• 3 medium chestnut mushrooms
• 2 small nests dried tagliatelle, or as desired
• 1 sea bass fillet, skin on
• 2 tablespoons plain (all purpose) flour
• Bottom half of a herb and onion ciabatta bread roll, or similar

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 210C/Gas Mark 7/425F.

Tomato chutney ingredients are added to a small saucepan

While the oven is preheating, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a small saucepan, along with the teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Cut 6 of the cherry tomatoes in half down through the core and add them to the pan. Peel the first garlic clove and grate it into the pan before further seasoning with a little bit of salt and pepper. Put the saucepan on to a medium to low heat and stir frequently with a wooden spoon until the tomatoes have broken down and a lush, thick chutney is starting to form. Tur off the heat, cover the saucepan and set aside to cool.

Vegetables are added to roasting tray

Cut the remaining tomatoes in half and thickly slice the mushrooms, down through the cup and stalk. Cut the courgette in half lengthways and subsequently into moderately thick crescent-shaped slices. Peel and finely chop the second garlic clove before adding the lot to a roasting tray with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir well before placing the tray into the oven for 30 minutes. Remove it and stir again half way through cooking.

When the vegetables have been stirred at the half way stage, add the tagliatelle nests to a large pot of boiling, well salted water and bring to a simmer for 8 to 10 minutes (or per the instructions on the pack).

Sea bass fillet is added to hot pan

Scatter the flour on a large plate and season well with salt and pepper. Pat the sea bass fillet in the flour on its skin side only. Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large, non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a high heat before adding the sea bass fillet, skin side down. Season the flesh side of the fillet with salt and pepper and fry on a high heat until you can see the fillet is cooked most of the way through, around 3 minutes. Turn the heat under the pan down to minimum before carefully turning the fillet with a fish slice to complete cooking on its flesh side for 2 minutes.

Put the halved ciabatta roll on to toast until golden.

Roasted vegetables are added to drained tagliatelle

Drain the tagliatelle well through a colander at your sink and return it to the empty pot. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and add them to the pot with the pasta (including the oil). A pair of cooking tongs are best used to carefully lift and combine the ingredients.

Spoon the chutney on to the cut side of the toasted ciabatta. Spread it out and cut the roll in half diagonally, corner to opposite corner.

Tucking in to sea bass with roasted vegetables tagliatelle

Again using the cooking tongs, arrange the pasta and vegetables diagonally across the centre of a square plate. Lift the sea bass fillet carefully on top, skin side up. Lay the triangular chutney topped roll halves in the 2 empty corners of the plate. The crisped skin of the sea bass should easily peel free by pinching the tail end and pulling smoothly and steadily towards the head end.