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This sea bass dish is a perfect alchemy of flavours

Mark McEwan a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @chef_MarkMcEwan

Every Saturday, Chef Mark McEwan, one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs, serves up everything you need for a special weekend meal, including a recipe and expert at-home cooking tips.

This is a simple recipe that eats like a complicated dish. The earthy qualities of the lentils and the brininess of the prosciutto are the perfect complements to the sea bass. I love the crispness of the prosciutto — it adds texture and that cured meat flavour so many of us crave.

Since this is a fairly rich dish, I’d recommend a light starter like a good seasonal salad during the summer or a light soup in the cooler weather. As for wine, any good crisp white or Chardonnay would work beautifully.

Chef tips:

á Generally when people cook fish, their biggest problem is the fish sticking to the pan, due to pan dryness or a toohigh cooking temperature. In this recipe, the prosciutto actually helps to prevent sticking, so your only real focus is to maintain a proper pan temperature and to ensure the prosciutto is crisp and evenly cooked. á For best results, use medium heat: just a light sizzle to the pan and keep the temperature holding steady. Once the prosciutto is crisp, the fish should be cooked through. Be patient and don’t rush the process. á The whipped butter at the end of this recipe adds body to the sauce and aeration. If you don’t have it, don’t sweat it — treat it as an option.

Crispy Prosciutto-Wrapped Sea Bass with Lentils

1 tbsp (15 mL) minced onion

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

3/4 cup (175 mL) beluga or Puy lentils, picked over

2 cups (500 mL) white chicken stock

2 skinless striped sea bass fillets, about 6 oz (175g) each Pinch each of salt and white pepper

4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

1 tbsp (15 mL) butter

2 tbsp (30 mL) Italian soffritto

1 whole scallion, sliced thinly and diagonally

2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato concasse

2 tbsp (30 mL) parsley, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 mL) whipped butter

2 generous dashes each Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) capers, rinsed and dried

Garnish with chopped chives and micro greens

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Sweat onion in half the olive oil until it begins to wilt. Add garlic and cook a minute longer. Stir in lentils and chicken stock; bring to a simmer, cover. Cook until just tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut each fillet of fish in half crosswise and season lightly on all sides. Arrange slices of prosciutto in two overlapping sets. Stack a pair of fish fillets on top of each — skin side out and thickest part against thinnest to ensure even cooking — and roll them into neat packages. Heat an overproof skillet over medium heat and melt the butter in the remaining olive oil. Cook fish on one side until the prosciutto is crisp and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. It should feel firm to the touch when done. Set the fish aside to rest.

Reheat the lentils. They should be moist but not soupy, so drain off any liquid, if necessary. Stir in the soffritto, scallion, tomato concasse and parsley. Remove from the heat and fold in 1 tbsp (15 mL) of whipped butter. Correct the seasonings, then mound the lentils in the centre of two warm plates. Slice the bass parcels in two, diagonally, and prop the two halves against each other on top of the two portions of lentils. Return the skillet in which the fish was cooked to medium-high heat, add the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces and lemon juice, and foam briefly. Remove from heat and add the capers, remaining whipped butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Swirl the pan well; pour the emulsified sauce over the fish. Garnish. Serves two.

White chicken stock

10 lb (4.5 kg) chicken bones, cut into pieces and well-rinsed

3 medium Spanish onions, very coarsely chopped

2 large carrots, very coarsely chopped

1/2 bunch of celery, very

coarsely chopped

1/2 bunch thyme

1/2 bunch of parsley without leaves (or 1/4 bunch with leaves)

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp (15 mL) black

peppercorns

In a stockpot, cover bones generously with cold water, about 15 quarts (15 L). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and skim the scum from the surface. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for at least 3 hours (and up to overnight). Continue to skim scum as it rises and replenish water as needed. Strain stock, chill, then skim fat from the surface. Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge and about 6 months in the freezer. Makes about 12 quarts (12 L).

Italian soffritto

1 cup (250 mL) red or white

onion, minced

1/2 cup (125 mL) celery, minced

1/4 cup (50 mL) fennel, minced

1/4 cup (50 mL) carrot, minced

1/4 cup (50 mL) garlic, minced

1/2 cup (125 mL)) olive oil

Combine the vegetables and garlic in a saucepan, add the oil, cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are completely wilted.

Tomato concasse

About 4 Roma tomatoes yields 1 cup (250 mL) concasse. Blanch Roma tomatoes and shock in ice water. Peel and quarter. Remove tops, seeds, and pulp. Cut flesh into fine dice or diamond shape.

Whipped butter

1 lb (450 g) butter, at room temperature

3 ice cubes

Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Blend until creamy. Add ice cubes and blend until melted and incorporated completely. Keep refrigerated.

Chef Mark McEwan is a Torontobased chef, entrepreneur, mentor and writer of best-selling cookbooks. He is

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2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

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