This Sea Bass Meunière recipe comes from Juanlu Fernández, Michelin Star chef and owner of Lú, Cocina y Alma restaurant in Jerez. Juanlu started his cooking journey at the age of 13 in a bakery. He then spent some time working in an artisan sweetshop before finally taking the leap to Martín Berasategui’s kitchen. He looks back on this time in Tenerife with great pride, remembering how much it taught him.Back in Cádiz, he spent 10 years as culinary director of Aponiente***, before finally deciding to set up his own restaurant. Lu, Cocina y Alma aims to make diners feel at home while offering them an unforgettable experience where, as they say themselves, they bring a touch of Andalusia to French recipes.
Aquanaria has been raising its sea bass for four years in the cold, oxygenated waters of the Atlantic Ocean, where they are constantly on the move. This helps us achieve a top quality culinary product that is greatly appreciated by the most demanding chefs. A tender, juicy texture with a smooth, clean flavourare the distinguishing features of this delicate fish, that many now call the “Chef’s Sea Bass“.
MEUNIÈRE, TECHNIQUE AND SAUCE
One of the greatest contributions of French cuisine, a reference and inspiration for many chefs like Juanlu, are its sauces. Their role is to enhance and complement the main ingredients in the dish. The keyis to achieve a perfect balance of flavours, so that the sauce always plays a secondary role in the preparation and does not mask the rest of the ingredients. Preparation a la Meunière,which means “the miller’s wife” in French, is one of the most well-known sauces used for fish, particularly for sole.
In this dish, steaming helps ensure just the right amount of cooking to bring out the subtle flavour of the Aquanaria Sea Bass and preserve its juicy texture. This juiciness contrasts with the deliciously surprising crispy crust of the grilled skin. This way we achieve a dish where the sauce is a key element that complements and enhances the fantastic texture and flavour of the sea bass, the central element of the recipe.
METHOD
Preparing the sea bass:
· Carefully remove the fillets so as not to damage the fish. Separate the loin from the rest of the fillet
· Cut into 180 g portions
· Steam and then sear the skin
Preparing the sauce:
· Put the yolks and caper brine in the Thermomix, set the time and the temperature to 50ºc. Leave them to emulsify for 2 mins.
· Gradually pour in the melted butter, until you achieve the perfect emulsion
· Balance the acidity with lemon juice and salt
· Keep warm
Preparing the fried capers:
· Fry the capers at 180ºC and keep in an Excalibur (dehydrator) until needed
PLATING
Serve the caper sauce on the plate and place the piece of sea bass on top. Finish by placing fried capers on the sea bass.