Striped Sea Bass with Shrimp, Avocado, and Peppers
Sea bass fillets, sauteed golden brown and finished in the oven, are topped with avocado slices and surrounded by sauteed vegetables and shrimp. Lemon-Butter Sauce unites the elements of the dish. The technique of browning the fish fillets, then finishing them in the oven prevents overcooking the surface of the fillets, leaving them tender and moist. It is an excellent technique for cooking any relatively thick piece of fish, fowl, or meat.
Ingredients
- Striped Sea Bass Fillets - four, 8-ounce, skin on (alt. halibut or snapper)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Avocados - 2
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Shrimp - 12 jumbo, (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
- Green Bell Pepper - 1, julienned
- Yellow Bell Pepper - 1, julienned
- Red Bell Pepper - 1, julienned
- Nicoise Olives - 16
- Italian Yellow Plum Tomatoes - 12 miniature
- Baby pattypan squash - 12
- Lemon-Butter Sauce
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Shallots - 2 large
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/2 tablespoons
- Unsalted Butter - 1/2 pound, room temperature, quartered
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon
Instructions
To prepare the fish: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat and add the fillets, skin-side up. Saute until the flesh is no longer transparent, about 1 minute. Place the fish in the oven for about 5 minutes, until opaque throughout. Peel and core the avocados. Cut into thin slices and dip in the lemon juice. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saute pan and saute the remaining ingredients just until the shrimp are opaque. Set aside off the heat.
To prepare the sauce: Combine the wine and shallots in a saucepan. Cook to reduce to 1 tablespoon of liquid. Add the cream and heat until warm. Bit by bit, whisk in the butter. Adjust the temperature by moving the pan on and off the heat; at the first sign of yellow streaks, take the pan off the heat and whisk in more butter until the mixture emulsifies again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain, then stir in the lemon juice. Set aside over warm water or in an insulated jar until ready to use.
To serve: Place a fish fillet on each warmed serving plate. Top each with one fourth of the avocado slices. Surround the fillets with the sauteed shrimp and vegetables. Spoon lemon-butter sauce around the fillets.
