Bass with Aubergine and Bouillabaisse Sauce Recipe

Beautiful fillets of wild sea bass are simply cooked in this stunning recipe from Graham Garrett. The smoky, silky aubergine purée and vegetables are all brought together by an intensely flavoured bouillabaisse sauce that's full of aromatic fragrance.

Ingredients

print recipe

shopping List

Metric

Imperial

6 wild sea bass fillets, skin scored
olive oil, for frying
sea salt

bouillabaisse sauce

500g of fish bones
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 fennel, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 leek, sliced
1 celery stick, chopped
1 garlic bulb, halved
1 pinch of saffron
1 tbsp of coriander seeds, crushed
1 star anise
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 orange, zested
2 tbsp of tomato purée
250ml of dry white wine
1 tsp sea salt
1l chicken stock

aubergine purée

1 large aubergine
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 lemon, juiced
5g of fine sea salt
10g of tahini
2g of Aleppo chilli flakes

garnish

2 courgettes
extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
18 cherry tomatoes, on the vine
sea salt

print recipe

shopping List

Barbecue or chargrill pan
Blender

Begin by making the bouillabaisse sauce. Place the bones in a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat until lightly coloured. Add the fennel, shallot, carrot, leek, celery and garlic bulb and continue to cook until the vegetables soften (but do not allow to colour)

500g of fish bones
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 fennel, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 leek, sliced
1 celery stick, chopped
1 garlic bulb, halved

Add the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then add the saffron, coriander, star anise, fennel seeds, thyme, bay lead and orange zest. Deglaze with the white wine, add the salt then pour in the stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25 minutes

2 tbsp of tomato purée
1 pinch of saffron
1 tbsp of coriander seeds, crushed
1 star anise
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 orange, zested
250ml of dry white wine
1 tsp sea salt
1l chicken stock

Meanwhile, light a barbecue and char the aubergine until completely collapsed and soft (you can also do this directly over the flame of a gas hob) – this should take around 20 minutes. Leave to cool

1 large aubergine

Once the sauce has finished simmering, strain it through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pushing the solids with a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and reduce the sauce to a shiny, syrupy consistency

While the sauce is reducing, scrape the aubergine flesh from the charred skins into a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients for the puree and blitz until smooth. Set aside until ready to plate

1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 lemon, juiced
5g of fine sea salt
10g of tahini
2g of Aleppo chilli flakes

For the garnish, slice 1 of the courgettes into 6 long portions and toss in olive oil. Season and lightly oil the tomatoes, then place on the barbecue (still on the vine) along with the courgettes and grill until the tomatoes are soft and the courgettes are tender (you can also do this in a pan). Once the courgette is cooked, season with salt and scatter with thyme leaves

2 courgettes
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
18 cherry tomatoes, on the vine
1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked

While the vegetables are cooking, season the wild bass fillets. Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a hot frying pan and place the fish skin-side down. Cook for a few minutes, then flip and fry for a further minute or until just cooked

6 wild sea bass fillets, skin scored
sea salt
olive oil, for frying

When ready to serve, peel the skins off the tomatoes and use a vegetable peeler to cut 12 thin ribbons of the raw courgette. Place a grilled piece of courgette on each place, then top with the bass. Roll the courgette ribbons into cylinders and place 2 on each plate. Add a spoonful of aubergine purée alongside the fish, then finish with 3 peeled tomatoes per plate and the bouillabaisse sauce

Discover more:

Share recipe

Graham Garrett

Garrett’s taste for savoury umami flavours means plenty of fish, rustic pork cuts and substantial game and fowl dishes. He also puts as much care into his desserts as the rest of his meals, and they often include unexpected touches - such as an almond cake soaked in Sauternes and peaches and cream made with vanilla Mascarpone.

Wild bass with smoked aubergine purée and bouillabaisse sauce

Related recipes

Related recipes