Poached Sea Bass with Orange Braised Kale

He's back! As you can see, the list of March posts are, well, almost non-existent. Derek was in LA and then had his parents here for a week so the little cooking that was done in our kitchen during that time was hardly worthy of a blog post. The peasant meals that I was throwing together were nothing to complain about, but gosh, I had missed some seriously good home cooking.

And this one was healthy as an added bonus!

The main component of the meal, the poached sea bass in a tomato broth, was Derek's brainchild. I was left in charge of the Orange Braised Kale.

Poached Sea Bass in a Tomato Broth

Ingredient list only - Derek was in charge:

White wine
Bay leaves
Thyme
Canned diced tomatoes
Ouzo
Absinthe
EVOO
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Onion
Water
Carrot
Celery

Seabass
Capers
Fennel
EVOO
White Pepper
Fleur de Sel
EVOO (optional)

Make a tomato broth (you can use any recipe - this one looks very good: Roasted Tomato Broth). Be sure to strain the sauce for this dish. You are looking for a rich yet delicate broth.

For the crispy fennel, add a generous amount of EVOO (about 1 T.) to the bottom of a pan. Add sliced fennel and cook until crispy (but not burnt).

Add fish to poaching liquid and keep liquid at a constant simmer temperature (not boiling) for about 5-7 minutes, until the internal temperature of the fish reaches about 115-120 (our fish was extremely fresh, no need to kill it with cooking). Remove from poaching liquid.

To plate - place a spoonful of capers in the bottom of each serving dish (a shallow, wide bowl works best). Place the fish on top of the capers. Pour in tomato broth until it reaches about 2/3 up the side of the fish. Sprinkle top of fish with some white pepper and fleur de sel. Top fish with crispy fennel and, if desired, drizzle with some EVOO. Serve immediately.

Yes, yes, yes. This was crazy good. The key is to use a really good piece of fish (for $29 a pound - it better be) and be aware of the flavors going into the broth. We didn't have any additional fennel and wanted to use it as a garnish, so rather than putting fennel in the broth, we added the absinthe and ouzo. Less absinthe because it has a bit more of a bite, a bit more of the ouzo - but not a lot of either...a little goes a long way. The flavor of the broth was enhanced even further after cooking the fish in it. It picked up a delicate fish flavor that was so great, I could have eaten the broth just on its own. Because it was that good, we saved the leftover broth and used it in the next night's meal - cioppino (see future post for how we used it).

As I was eating this meal, I was questioning, why is it that I get so sick of some fish and proteins that I only want small portions, and then there are some fish that I never want to end - this was one of them. Derek's answer to my conundrum was that I like oily fish but don't like cooked salmon (which is an oily fish) because it has such a strong flavor. I agreed, however, after doing some research, I found his answer to be wrong. My favorites, cod, seabass, halibut, are not in fact classified as "oily" - so instead I will just classify my favorites as the type of fish that have large flakes that just seem to fly off the fish and melt in your mouth. Good enough?

The capers with the fish and the roasted fennel proved to be an incredible combination - I couldn't get enough of it.

Orange Braised Kale

1/2 large onion, sliced into thin rounds and halved
2 tsp. EVOO
pinch sugar
pinch salt
1 bunch dinosaur kale, ribs removed and torn into 2 in. pieces
1/4 cup chicken Broth
1 Tangerine or Small Orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup blanched almonds, sliced
1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper

In a large pan over medium-low to medium heat, heat EVOO and add onion slices. Sprinkle on a pinch of sugar and salt. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, slowly until caramelized, being sure not to burn them. This should take about 20-25 minutes depending on the width of the onion slices. Add the kale and stir to mix. Add the chicken broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and cover. After about 15 minutes, remove lid and add orange zest, almonds, and apple cider vinegar. Cook for another 5 minutes uncovered. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I have to admit that the timing and proportions listed in the recipe may not be exact as I was simply creating this dish as I was going along. When I started it, I had no intention of adding orange. I originally wanted Derek to add some orange with the fish dish since I think orange and fennel are such a fantastic pairing. However, when he was hesitant to make that addition to his own dish, I figured, fine, I'll add it to mine. BOY am I glad I did. It completely transformed the dish. The ending result was bright with deep flavors - richness with the caramelized onion, flavor burst with the orange, and texture with the almonds. I could have had a huge plate of this and been very happy. Derek agreed - it was awesome. Thanks.

It feels good to be back.