Roast sea bass, Bouzigues mussels with vermouth and Sélène

Ingredients

• 4 skin-on sea bass fillets (loup, or bar), 160 g each
• 1 kg Bouzigues mussels
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 2 shallots
• 10 cl dry white vermouth
• 20 cl whipping cream
• 60 g cold butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• A few sprigs of dill or the fennel fronds
• Salt, white pepper

Method

1. 1

   Scrub and wash the mussels, discarding any that are broken or stay open.

2. 2

   Thinly slice the fennel. Soften it for 20 minutes, covered, in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a low heat, with a little salt and the lemon zest. Keep warm.

3. 3

   Finely chop the shallots. In a large saucepan, sweat them for 2 minutes, add the mussels and 5 cl of vermouth. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes over a high heat, shaking the pan, until the mussels open.

4. 4

   Drain the mussels, reserving the liquor. Remove them from their shells, keeping a few whole mussels for presentation. Strain the liquor through a fine sieve.

5. 5

   In a small saucepan, reduce 15 cl of the mussel liquor with the rest of the vermouth by half, then add the cream and reduce for a further 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter in small pieces. Season with pepper, adjust with a few drops of lemon juice, then add the shelled mussels to warm through.

7. 7

   Salt the fillets on the flesh side. In a hot frying pan with the rest of the olive oil, sear them skin side down for 5 to 6 minutes, until the skin is crisp, then turn them over for 1 minute off the heat.

8. 8

   Place the soft fennel in the centre of the plates, lay the sea bass on top skin side up, spoon over the mussel sauce and garnish with whole mussels and dill.