Sea Bass with Gnocchi, Fennel and Bouillabaisse

— Main by Executive Chef Douglas Balish, Grove of Narberth

INGREDIENTS

Makes 8 portions

Gnocchi

120g potatoes 10g egg, beaten 20g Parmesan, grated

2g salt

40g ‘00' flour splash of olive oil

Fennel Salad

10g orange juice 45g fennel, sliced thinly

2 basil leaves, sliced thinly

1 sprig of tarragon, picked and sliced thinly 1 orange, zested 10g lime juice pinch of salt

Bouillabaisse

6 fish heads, cleaned

1.5kg white fish bones

1 x large fennel head

6 tomatoes, deseeded

12g garlic 5g thyme

1 large onion 6 star anise

30g Pernod 2L fish stock

20g tomato puree

1 bay leaf 1g saffron

30g lemon juice, plus extra to taste

salt, to taste

Sea Bass

sea bass fillets, to order

METHOD Gnocchi

1. Boil the potatoes in a saucepan until they are fully cooked and soft. 2. Peel the potatoes and mash them in a large mixing bowl until smooth. 3. In the bowl with the mashed potatoes, add the egg and mix well. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and salt, making sure the ingredients are evenly distributed. 4. Gradually add the flour to the mixture, stirring gently until the dough starts to come together.

Use your hands if needed, but avoid overworking the dough.

5. On a floured surface, roll the dough and cut out bite-size pieces to form your gnocchi.

6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil to prevent the gnocchi from sticking together.

7. Carefully drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface (this should take about 2–3 minutes), they are cooked. Remove and place in ice water.

Fennel salad

1. Combine all of the ingredients together to make the salad. Set aside, to serve.

Bouillabaisse

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. In a roasting tray, cook the fish bones and heads in the oven with the fennel, tomatoes, garlic and thyme until golden.

3. Add them, along with all the remaining bouillabaisse ingredients, apart from the salt and lemon, to a pan and simmer for one hour.

4. Blend everything until as smooth as possible, including bones and head. Pass through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth.

5. Reduce the liquid until the flavour is full and the sauce has some body to it.

6. Add salt and lemon juice, to taste.

Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour

TO SERVE

1. Roast the sea bass on the skin in a pan for approx. 5 minutes (depending on the size of the fish), until crispy. Then turn and leave in the pan for 1 minute off the heat.

2. Caramelise the gnocchi in a pan with some oil until golden.

3. Place fennel salad on the base of each bowl with gnocchi on top. Add the sea bass on top and pour over your bouillabaisse sauce.