HERE A FENNEL, THERE A FENNEL...

Between Monday's dish and tonight's I feel as though there's some sinister fennel pusher wearing a green trenchcoat who has been selling the dill-looking fronds to our chefs. Today's recipe features a sauteed fish in a tomato and fennel broth!

More after class on the jump...

DISH: Sautéed Fillet of Bass in a Fennel and Tomato Broth, Filet De Bar Sauté Au Jus De Fenouil Et Tomate

RECIPE:

The Tomato Fondue
500 G Tomatoes
50 G Shallots
½ Garlic, Germ Removed
2 Tablespoons Blended Olive Oil
Bouquet Garni

The Fennel
1 Large Fennel Bulb
250 ML White Wine
125 ML Pernod
500 ML Fish Stock
Bouquet Garni with Fennel Seeds
3 Dozen Littleneck Clams
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

The Garnish and Fish
8 Baby Bok Choy
8 Portions Bass Fillet, 100-gram, Skin on
125 ML Blended Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Minced Tarragon
Note: Wild striped bass may be substituted according to the season.

Procedure:

FONDUE Prepare the tomato fondue in the usual manner. Remove the bouquet and garlic and transfer the mixture to a large sautoir.

FENNEL Trim the fennel and cut vertically into 24 slices. Add the fennel to the tomatoes along with the wine, Pernod, fish stock, and bouquet garni. Add the clams and cook just until open. Remove them from the pan and discard any that did not open. Continue cooking the fennel until it is tender.

GARNISH AND FISH Cook the bok choy à l'anglaise and refresh. Cut lengthwise in 3 pieces and set aside. Season the fillets with salt and pepper; salt lightly on the skin side. Heat the oil in a wide sauteuse and sear the fish for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the skin turns golden. Place the fillet in a pan and ladle the broth and vegetables around them, making sure the liquid just comes to the edge of the fillets. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until the fish is cooked through, adding the clams at the last few moments to warm them. Place a portion of the bass in the center of a wide-rimmed shallow bowl and arrange 3 alternating pieces ecach of bok choy and fennel. Place some clams around, ladle on a bit of the broth, and sprinkle with the minced tarragon.

BREAKDOWN: Between today's dish and Monday's Fish Stew Marseilles-Style, I'm wondering what is so special about fennel in August and September. On the face I liked this dish better than the stew because the fish was sautéed before being added to the broth giving it some more color and flavoring. But in the end I think I liked the way the rouille thickened the broth of the "stew" better on Monday than the end result today.

For service we multiplied the recipe by four times. While I'd prefer to eat the Monday fish dish, I'd rather get this one on the final as it didn't seem to have as much prep-work.