Sea bass fillet with chestnut scales

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g fish, sea bass, fillet as thick as possible, with skin
• 200 g chestnuts, cooked
• 40 g breadcrumbs
• 70 g butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 200 ml fish stock, strong or crustacean stock
• 50 ml balsamic vinegar
• 20 g sugar
• 2 vanilla pods
• 40 g butter
• 250 ml milk
• 200 g chestnuts, cooked
• 30 g butter
• 20 ml rum
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

also called Bar or Loup de mer, with chestnut puree and vanilla jus

Cut the fish fillet into four equal pieces. Cut the chestnuts into thin slices. Set aside the prettiest ones; there should be enough to cover all the fillets with a thin layer of flaky pieces. Experience has shown that there will be a lot of broken pieces, but don’t despair. Finely grind 60 g of the (broken) chestnut slices with 30 g of breadcrumbs in a food processor, then mix in 50 g of softened butter. Place the fish slices, skin-side down, in a buttered, shallow gratin dish. Brush with egg yolk, then spread each with a 2-3 mm thick layer of chestnut mixture. Brush again with egg yolk, then arrange the “pretty” chestnut slices on top in a flaky pattern. Dust thinly with the remaining breadcrumbs and top with small flakes of butter. Chill. For the vanilla sauce, caramelize the sugar in a saucepan. Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar, stir in the fish stock and the seeds of one vanilla pod. Reduce until thick, then pass through a fine sieve. Gently heat 40g of butter in a saucepan until nut-brown, then whisk in the stock. Set aside one chestnut per person. Simmer the remaining chestnuts in the milk with a slitted vanilla pod until very soft, drain the milk, set aside, and puree the chestnuts, adding enough milk to make a smooth purée. Stir in 30g of butter and the rum, and season with salt and pepper. Brown the reserved chestnuts in a pan in a little butter until golden brown, caramelizing if desired. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Cook the fish on the middle rack for 8-13 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, then gratinate for another one or two minutes under the very hot grill. Place the fillets on small plates, add some purée to the side, place a chestnut on top of each one, and pour a little vanilla sauce over it. The recipe sounds more complicated than it is; the vanilla sauce, chestnut cream, and chestnut purée can be prepared the day before, if necessary. Even the somewhat fiddly “assembly” of the fillets can be done a few hours in advance. A great, light starter, paired with a Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay with a subtle oak finish, or even a residually sweet, mature Riesling.