Sea Bass With Citrus Yoghurt Sauce
Sea bass is a delicious fish because of its mildly sweet, subtle rich taste and firm, flaky texture. Especially in the summer, when it’s at its best. So, it may be surprising to learn that in the Setouchi, sea bass is considered a slightly “smelly” fish. (Remember, all fish in the Setouchi are benchmarked against the pure sweet, delicate taste and firm texture of sea bream.) Sea bass’ “fishiness” comes from the fish’s feeding on tiny crustaceans and other phytoplanktons, unlike sea bream, which is at the top of the food chain in the Seto Inland Sea’s coastal waters and mainly eats other large fish and shellfish.
To mask its mildly fishy taste, sea bass is typically prepared pan-seared with a sauce, either in an Italian culinary style with olive oil, garlic, and fresh vegetables in summer or a French one with cream in winter. This recipe is a variation on the latter, using yoghurt, which is made richer and more deeply flavored by adding a splash of usukuchi soy sauce, and whole pieces of lemon and mikan tangerine in the yoghurt sauce to give it a lovely fragrant tang. The result is a light, yet flavorful and healthy dish “a la” Setouchi.
Sea Bass With Citrus Yoghurt Sauce
Suzuki no Kankitsukei Yogurto Sosu : スズキの柑橘ヨーグルトソース
Serves 4
Main Foods
Sea Bass Fillets (with skin on), 4, about 1 lb. (450 g)
Lemon, 1
Mikan or Other Type of Tangerine, 1
Seasonings
Honey, 1 teaspoon
Sea Salt, 3/4 teaspoon
Usukuchi Soy Sauce, 1 teaspoon, to taste
Lemon Juice, 1 tablespoon
Yoghurt, 6 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon
Aromatics / Flavorings
Ground Black Pepper, as desired
Shiso, 6 leaves (optional)
Directions
Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and let rest for 30 minutes. This will draw out the sea bass’ impurities, producing a thin layer of moisture on the fillets.
While you’re waiting, peel the lemon and thinly slice some of the peel to use later to decorate the dish. Cut the flesh of the lemon into four equal parts. Peel the membrane from three of those and squeeze the juice from the fourth to use in the sauce. It should be about 1 tablespoon. Peel the mandarin orange, divide the wedges. and cut each wedge into 2-3 pieces.
To make the sauce, mix the yoghurt, honey, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, usukuchi soy sauce, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil and add the lemon pulp and mikan tangerine pieces.
When the fillets are ready, rinse them under cold water, and thoroughly pat dry with a paper towel. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then dust only the skin side with an appropriate amount of flour. Cut 1-2 slits down the center length of the skin, or make a cross-hatch in the center if the fillet is wide, so that the fish doesn’t buckle up when you cook it. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a fry pan, put the fillets in skin side down, and sear over medium heat, holding the fillets down with a spatula and moving them around in the oil, until the skin is nicely browned and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Flip over, lower the heat to medium-low, and sear the other side for about a minute. The fish is done when it’s firm and completely opaque. If it looks like it needs a bit more cooking, cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and let it steam for a minute or two. (You can add a splash of sake to help create some steam.)
Serve
Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the citrus yoghurt sauce on serving plates and lay a sea bass fillet on top. Drizzle a little sauce over each fillet and decorate with thin slices of lemon peel, first giving them a twist to release their fragrance. Or you can accent the dish with small chiffonades of shisho leaves.
Substitutions
You can use any type of meaty white-fleshed fish in this recipe, such as sea bream, red snapper, yellowtail, swordfish, cod, and tilapia. Salmon is also an option.