Fennel Salad with Sea Bass and Pink Pepper Dressing

Ingredients

• 3 bulbs fennel
• 300 g sea bass fillet
• 2 tbsp neutral plant oil
• Salt
• 2 tsp pink peppercorns
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Fleur de sel
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 Tbsp sunflower oil

Instructions

1. 1.

   Trim the fennel fronds for garnish. Clean, rinse, halve lengthwise and remove the core. Slice or julienne the halves into fine strips, rinse in a sieve under cold water, and drain well. Strain the mandarin oranges through a sieve, collect the juice, and reserve 3 tbsp for the dressing.

2. 2.

   Crush the pink peppercorns coarsely in a mortar. In a bowl whisk together the canned juice, vinegar, and fleur de sel until dissolved. Stir in the mustard. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add to the mixture. Whisk in the oil and fold in the crushed pink peppercorns. Fold in the fennel and mandarin orange pieces.

3. 3.

   Rinse the sea bass fillet under cold water, pat dry, and cut into 12 medallions. Heat the plant oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season the medallions with salt and sear each side for about 2 minutes.

4. 4.

   Distribute the fennel salad onto four plates and arrange three sea bass medallions on top of each. Garnish with fennel fronds before serving.