Pan Roasted Bass with Jerusalem Artichoke
This recipe by Todd Ginsberg of The General Muir for a delicious pan roasted bass with Jerusalem artichoke puree and cream is perfect for the holidays! The holiday season typically results in an increase in food waste as friends and families come together over large meals. Plan ahead this year by picking a low waste recipe to share with loved ones — and remember to save the leftovers! This recipe is a great option as it uses every part of the sunchoke to make a delicious puree and infused cream.
Ingredients
- Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes), 20 each
- Bay leaf, 1 each
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Milk, 3 cups
- Heavy cream 2 cups + 1 cup
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- White truffle oil, 6 drops (optional)
- Bass (or snapper or salmon), 1 pound, in 4 ounce portions
- Grapeseed oil, as needed
- Parsley or arugula sprigs for garnish, optional
Directions
Set up a bowl of water mixed with the lemon juice (“acidulated water” will keep the artichokes from discoloring) and a separate bowl of plain water.
Peel artichokes using a paring knife. Artichokes and peelings should be free of sand. Place peeled chokes in acidulated water. Reserve peelings in the other bowl and set aside.
Remove artichokes from water. Discard water. Place artichokes in sauce pot. Cover with milk and ad d bay leaf. Begin to cook over a medium low heat.
As artichokes are cooking, in a separate small sauce pot reduce 1 cup of cream to ¼ cup.
Place reserved peelings in a new sauce pot and cover with heavy cream (not the heavy cream you have just reduced). Bring to a very soft simmer and cover. Cook peelings for about 10-15 minutes. Shut off heat and let steep until room temperature. Strain cream and reserve the infused cream. Discard peelings. Return infused cream to the sauce pot to warm for serving.
When artichokes are completely tender and almost falling apart, remove from heat and strain. Place cooked artichokes in a blender. Use a little of the poaching milk to help blending. You want this to be a tight purée so don’t add too much. (You can save the rest of the milk for poaching fish or making a broth or a soup.) Better to stop the blender and work with a spoon to keep the blending process going rather than adding too much milk.
Add reduced cream to blender. Season with salt and white pepper. Add optional truffle oil at this point. Reserve purée in small sauce pot to reheat later.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season both sides of fish lightly with white pepper and salt. Get an oven safe sauté pan very hot. Add grapeseed oil. When the oil is shimmering, carefully lay fish skin side down, away from you, so the oil doesn’t splash back at you. Turn fire down to medium low. Cook fish for about 3-4 minutes. The fish should release with a shake of the pan. If not, don’t worry. Don’t try and use a spatula. Place the pan in oven and cook about 3-4 minutes more. Flip the fish over and “kiss” the fish on the flesh for 5 seconds (that means just let that side of the fish touch the hot pan for 5 seconds!).
For plating, heat purée and infused cream. Place dollop of purée in middle of plate. Place fish on top of purée and infused cream sauce around the fish. Garnish with sprigs of parsley or arugula. Enjoy!