Sea bass, clam, oyster and saffron, courgette, basil oil

Ingredients

2 shallots, peeled and diced 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed Vegetable oil

teaspoon saffron strands soaked in a little hot water 200ml dry white wine 3 dozen clams (cleaned) 12 oysters (native or farmed), opened and keep the juices 150g butter 4 small courgettes with flowers, remove the flowers and keep them 150g crab meat 1 tablespoon mayonnaise Juice of half a lemon Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon of sea salt 1 cup olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing on the courgette flowers 2 cups fresh basil leaves 4 sea bass fillets, approximately 150g, (you could use salmon, cod, etc instead)

Method

1 In a pan, gently cook the diced shallots and the crushed garlic in a little vegetable oil until they are soft. Add the soaked saffron strands, along with the soaking water, and the dry white wine. Add the clams and cover the pot. Turn the heat to medium and steam the clams until they open. Leave the clams to cool. Strain the cooking liquor and set it aside. Remove the clams from their shells, keeping a few in their shells to garnish the finished dish.

2 Add the oyster juice and the clam liquor you set aside earlier to a shallow pot or pan, and reduce the liquid for 15 minutes, then gradually whisk in the butter until you have a light emulsion. Add the clams and oysters to this emulsion.

3 Slice the courgettes. Blanch them in boiling water and refresh them in iced water.

4 Mix the crab meat, the mayonnaise and the lemon juice together, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stuff

this mixture into the courgette flowers. Place the stuffed flowers in a bamboo steamer, season them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and brush them with a little olive oil. Steam for three minutes.

5 Blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for a few seconds, and refresh them in iced water. Dry them on paper towels. Liquidise them in a food processor with the cup of olive oil and the teaspoon of sea salt until the mixture is smooth.

6 Add a little vegetable oil to a non-stick pan over high heat, and place the sea bass fillets in the pan, skin-side down. Cook the fish until you get a nice crispy skin, then reduce the heat and turn the fish. Season the fillets with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 7 Spoon the clam and oyster sauce onto plate, then add the fish, the stuffed courgette flowers, and the courgettes. Drizzle over with the basil oil and garnish with some of the clams still in their shells.