This sea bass recipe, is served with cherry vine tomato and black olive salsa. Created by renowned Galway chef JP McMahon for his book Cava Bodega Tapas, it’s a dish that will deliver a true ‘Taste of Spain in Ireland’.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the sea bass
– 4 sea bass fillets, trimmed of their bellies
– flat leaf parsley, to garnish
– olive oil
– sea salt
For the salsa
– 500g organic cherry tomatoes, look for heirloom varieties
– 250g pitted black olives
– 1 red onion, diced
– small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
– 15ml apple balsamic vinegar
– 15ml extra virgin olive oil
– sea salt
Method:
1. To make the salsa: Quarter the tomatoes and half the pitted olives. Mix together in a bowl with all the other ingredients. Season to taste. You can adjust vinegar depending on your own tastes. You’ll want to strike the right balance between salt and acid. This is what gives the salsa its zing.
2. To cook the fish: In a hot pan, fry the seasoned fish skin-side down in some light olive oil. When the skin is crispy, turn the fish over and fry briefly on the other side.
3. To serve: Place some salsa in the centre of the plate and place the fish on top. Drizzle a little extra vinegar around the salsa and garnish with some flat leaf parsley sprigs.
JP McMahon is a chef, restaurateur and author. He is culinary director of the EatGalway Restaurant Group, which comprises of Michelin-starred Aniar Restaurant, award-winning Spanish restaurant Cava Bodega, and Eat Gastropub – which has inspired his next cookbook Gastropub Revolution. He also runs the Aniar Boutique Cookery School.
JP is the founder and plays host to one of the biggest and most talked about international food events in Europe, Food On The Edge. The inaugural event took place in Galway in October 2015 with 2016 already causing stir. The event features the best international chefs from across the globe.Director, founding and current chair of the Galway Food Festival, JP is an ambassador for Irish food and a network leader for the global Cook it Raw project. He is also the ambassador for Spanish food in Ireland in particular promoting the wines of Rías Baixas (Galicia) and Jerez.
Recipe taken from Cava Bodega Tapas: A Taste of Spain in Ireland by JP McMahon, available to purchase at RRP €25 from www.cavarestaurant.ie/pages/cookbook.html.
For more information on the EatGalway Restaurant Group visit www.eatgalway.ie.
JP McMahon EatGalway