Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2011 | Page 131

FOOD

Recipe with
Ben Cooke at The Little Gloster, Gurnard

Seared seabass fillet

fragrant pearl barley and vegetable broth served with crispy
bacon and crème fraiche
Ingredients, Serves 4
4 125g Fresh bass fillets pin boned
and scaled
Pearl barley broth:
1 Glass of dry white wine
25g Grated ginger
1 Clove of garlic crushed
1 Red chilli deseeded and finely diced
Zest of 1 lemon and lime
1 Stick of lemon grass (bashed)
125g Pearl barley
Fine dice the following vegetables:
1 Large carrot
1 White of a large leek
1 Celery stick
100g Banana shallots
½ Head of fennel
12 Wafer thin slices of streaky
smoked bacon. (Baked till crispy)
To garnish:
200g Crème Fraiche
A small amount of finely chopped
Fresh herbs, chives, chervil etc.
1 Handful of fine beans trimmed or
broad beans podded
1 Handful of baby spinach

Make the broth by lightly cooking
the vegetable base in olive oil then
add the white wine and reduce by
a third. Add the Barley and cover
with water, heat to a low simmer and
cook the barley for 15-20 minutes
until it has swollen and is tender.
Set aside and leave the flavours to
infuse.
Season the Bass fillets with Salt,
Pepper and Olive Oil then Sear in
a large hot non stick pan skin side
down until crispy. Flip the fish and
finish off cooking on a low heat.

(1-2 minutes once flipped)
Add the spinach and fine beans
to the broth and simmer lightly
whilst the fish is cooking. Adjust the
seasoning and add some lemon juice
if needed. It should be fresh and
zesty.
Divide the broth into four large
bowls ensuring there is an equal
amount of broth in each; lay a fillet
of bass in the centre of each bowl.
Top with Crème Fraiche the crispy
bacon and fresh herbs.
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