Black Sea Bass with Basil Cap on Artichoke Ratatouille

Ingredients

• 600 g black sea bass fillet
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 60 g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 artichokes
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 can peeled tomatoes (~400 g)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 Shallot
• 1 eggplant
• 1 Zucchini
• 4 tomatoes
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 70 ml dry red wine
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• 1 bunch basil (~30 g)
• 5 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• 4 basil leaves

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with upper and lower heat. Rinse the black sea bass, pat dry, remove skin and tendons, cut into four equal pieces, and season with salt and pepper. In a pan melt 20 g butter, crush one garlic clove and add it, then sear the fish on all sides until golden yellow. Remove, place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 10–15 minutes to finish cooking.

2. 2.

   Meanwhile clean the artichokes, remove the choke, cut the stems into thin strips, and drizzle with lemon juice. Puree the peeled tomatoes finely. Wash the peppers, halve them, seed, and dice very finely. Peel two garlic cloves and the shallot, then finely chop. Wash the eggplant and zucchini, and dice them very finely.

3. 3.

   Wash the tomatoes, remove the stem base, score the underside crosswise, blanch in hot water, cool, peel, quarter, deseed, and dice the flesh. In a pot heat 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté the garlic and shallot cubes for 1–2 minutes until translucent. Add the remaining vegetable cubes, pour in red wine, and top with tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano, then simmer over medium heat for 10–15 minutes.

4. 4.

   In a pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and fry the artichoke strips for 2–3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes; taste. Remove remaining garlic. Wash basil, shake dry, pluck leaves, and blend with garlic and remaining olive oil into a puree. Mix the leftover butter with breadcrumbs and basil puree, then spread over the fish. Grill under the oven broiler for 3–4 minutes. Arrange artichoke strips and ratatouille sauce on warmed plates, place one half of a black sea bass fillet on top, garnish with a basil leaf, and serve.