Delicious combination using seasonal products, pan-fried sea bass with vizcaína sauce, and swiss chard. Delicate dish that is easy to make.
Vizcaína sauce:
Vizcaína sauce originates in Vizcaya, a region of the Basque Country. This sauce has a distinctive flavour and a beautiful red-orange colour that comes from dried Spanish peppers. We could say it is similar to romesco sauce but without tomato.
One of the most traditional dishes in Basque cuisine is the cod in vizcaína sauce but there are lots of other ways to enjoy this delicate sauce. Plus why not add some seasonal vegetables to make a delicious dish.
Let’s start.
Pan-fried sea bass with vizcaína sauce
Course: FishCuisine: BasqueDifficulty: Medium2
servings15
minutes30
minutesIngredients
4 swiss chard stems
1 garlic clove
2 sea bass fillet
1 teaspoon of olive oil
- Vizcaína sauce:
½ onion
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons ñora pepper pulp
1/2 cup cashews (roasted or natural)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
- Optional:
Parsley
Olive oil
Directions
- Vizcaína sauce:
- Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat.
- Chop the onion and garlic and sweat them until soft but not browned.
- Add the pepper pulp to the pan and cook for 3 minutes over low heat.
- Transfer to a food processor, add salt, pepper, and cashew nuts. Blend well. Add a little bit of water to create a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Pan-fried sea bass
- Steam the swiss chard for about 8 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
- Lightly coat the base of a non-stick frying pan with olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, remove it.
- Place the chard stems in the pan and cook for 1 minute on each side.
- In the meantime place 2 tablespoons of vizcaína sauce on a platter.
- Place the stems on top of the sauce creating an X.
- Season the sea bass fillet with salt and place in the hot pan (same pan you used to cook the swiss chard) skin-side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the fish is done.
- Place the fillet over the chard stems.
- Optional: Blend 3 tablespoon olive oil with fresh parsley to make parsley oil and drizzle the sea bass before serving.
Notes
- You can also use some almonds instead of cashew nuts.
If you are looking for more fish recipes, you will find surprising combinations here.
