Seabass With Beurre Blanc Sauce and Brussel Sprouts

There is something that is genuinely classic French when you pan roast fish with butter, and pair with a white butter sauce, and I set out to do a classic French dish last week.

It is actually a relatively simple dish to do, and making use of components that you can easily obtain from your nearest supermarket. And that is the point here, to make quality food using regular ingredients.

I usually go to NTUC to get a whole fish and avoid getting the packed ones. The whole fishes are naturally fresher and you can get the staff there to fillet the fish for you, and a tip is to keep the fish heads to make stock.

To begin, cut the fillet into individual portions. Season with salt and lots of pepper and set aside. Make sure you pet the fillets dry with a paper towel to avoid any water when you pan roast it.

In a pot of water, blanche some brussel sprouts that have been halved and boil some potatoes as well until soft. Once the brussel sprouts turn bright green, about a few minutes, remove from water.

Making the Beurre Blanc Sauce

To make the beurre blanc, finely dice about 2 shallots. In a saucepan, put in about half a cup of white wine and the shallots and turn to up to high heat and let the mixture reduce.

Once the white has almost evaporated and absorbed into the shallots, add a little fish stock and a little cream and remove from heat. Cut up some cold butter into small cubes.

Use a whisk to whisk in the butter, one cube at a time and whisk until the butter emulsify and melts into the sauce, and once each cube is dissolved, add in another cube and keep repeating.

Once all the butter has been added, place the saucepan on high heat to reduce again to a nice thick consistency. Keep whisking so that the sauce has that nice velvety texture.

To cook the seabass, place it skin side down in a hot pan with some olive oil. Once the fish is about halfway cooked, flip only once and bast it with butter for another minute. Drain the oil by placing the fish on some paper towels for a minute or two.

To plate, place some sauce on a flat white plate and place the seabass in the center.

Garnish the sides alternatively with the potatoes and brussel sprouts and there you have it. 

Classic french and incredibly yummy.