A while ago, to celebrate my wedding anniversary, my husband organized a surprise super romantic dinner at a five-star gourmet restaurant. The experience, believe me, was incredible! The food, pure aesthetic art for the eyes and poetry for the palate! That evening everything was perfect, indeed I would dare to say impeccable, every detail meticulously curated, but there was one dish that struck me the most! And I was so passionate about it that as soon as we returned home, it inspired my dinner the next day, and replicated on many other occasions due to its incredible success! Obviously, I improvised by simply taking inspiration, since I couldn’t ask the chef directly! However, it mattered little if in the end, with great satisfaction, I was able to serve perhaps one of the best fish dishes ever created so far! I remember these very delicate sea bass fillets were served with crispy hearts of artichoke and agretti on an unbeatable sauce. I made some slight modifications to the dish, replacing the artichokes with a version with a zucchini crust flavored and served on a bed of pea cream that had little to envy from the original, without being too presumptuous! It’s impossible to describe its taste without simply trying it!
If you’re a fish lover like me, try these all healthy, easy, and tasty ideas:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog helps support me and my work, while costing you nothing extra!
- 3 sea basses (medium, already filleted)
- 3 white zucchinis (medium)
- 12 oz frozen peas
- 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 3/4 oz Grana Padano DOP cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 berries juniper
- Few berries coriander
- as needed aromatic herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage)
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
Preparation
Start by preparing the pea cream. Cook them in a saucepan with the hot broth for 10 minutes, then drain with a skimmer and place them in a blender. Add a pinch of salt, a drizzle of oil, and the grated Grana cheese (fig. 1).
Blend until you achieve a creamy, slightly liquid consistency, then if necessary, add a few tablespoons of cooking broth and set aside (fig. 2).
Rinse the sea bass fillets under running water, already filleted, with guts and noble scraps removed (which you can reuse to make a stock) and pat them dry with kitchen paper (fig. 3).
Meanwhile, wash and trim the zucchinis; with a mandoline, slice them thinly (fig. 4).
In a large baking dish, marinate the fish fillets with the wine and aromatic herbs for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes so they soak well (fig. 5).
After the marinating time, transfer them to another baking dish, where you have already arranged a base of zucchinis slightly salted and flavored with juniper berries and coriander (fig. 6).
Salt, pepper, add a few parsley leaves, a little oil (not too much), and some of the marinating liquid (fig. 7).
Cover with another layer of zucchinis (fig. 8).
If the available baking dish is not large enough, place the fillets in 2 separate dishes. Salt, pepper, and flavor the top layer of zucchinis (fig. 9).
Bake in a preheated oven at 374°F for 25-30 minutes, the last 5 minutes using only the grill function (top heat) to create a light crust on the surface (fig. 10).
Serve by placing the sea bass fillets on a bed of pea cream.
And dress with a drizzle of raw oil.
And voilà… the sea bass fillets with zucchini crust and pea cream are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉The sea bass fillets with zucchini crust and pea cream can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days in suitable refrigeration containers, preferably glass.
