Make This: Stuffed Bass

Sharp Staff April 30, 2015

At The Chase, one of Toronto’s best power lunch sports, seafood is on the menu. Hell, seafood is the menu.

It’s part of a trend across some of the best restaurants in the country, which are all putting fish front and centre. Which is great, especially now that the weather’s nice, because fish is ridiculously healthy.

It’s low in cholesterol, high in omega-3 fatty acids (your hairline will thank you) and proven to fight heart disease. Plus, fish is a pretty light meal, so it won’t leave you heavy or lethargic the rest of the day.

For all those reasons, we enlisted Michael Steh, Executive Chef of the Chase Hospitality Group, to tell us what to do with our underwater friends this summer.

Stuffed Bass

Ingredients:
1.5lb Loup de Mer (Mediterranean Sea Bass) fillet
1/2 bunch rapini
1/2 bunch basil
1 lemon, thinly-sliced into rounds
1 tbsp powdered espelette
2 green onions
1 tbsp salt
7 pieces of butcher twine cut to 8′ lengths. Be sure to soak the twine in water overnight to ensure it doesn’t burn on the grill.

Ask your fish monger to debone the bass but leave it whole, with head and tail intact.
Season inside and outside of fish with salt and espelette pepper.
Line the fillet with overlapping slices of lemon from head to tail.
Place 2 onions down the middle of the fillet, close to the back bone.
Gently stuff the cavity of the fish with rapini and basil.
Starting from the tail, truss the fish with butcher twine all the way to the collar and head, spacing the ties 1 – 1.5 inches apart. Make sure the ties are snug but not too tight. Set the fish aside in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.

Ratatouille En Papillote

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and coarsely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and coarsely chopped
1 Japanese eggplant, coarsely chopped
1 red onion, peeled, sliced into 2cm thick rounds, and pre-grilled
2 Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and quartered.
1 green zucchini, split into quarters and coarsely chopped
1 head of garlic, washed and topped
35 ml olive oil
10 basil leaves, thinly-sliced

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil and place head of garlic cut-side down.
Cover with foil and slowly roast for 20-30 min to infuse oil and soften garlic.
Reserve oil and set aside garlic.
In a large bowl, bring together all the chopped veggies and herbs. Add the garlic-infused olive oil and basil. Season with salt & pepper.
Lightly mix together and allow to stand for 10 min.
Cut 2 square sheets of aluminum foil (30cm by 30cm) and place shiny side down on your counter.
Split the veggies and place in the centre of each foil square.
Fold the foil to create a rectangle. Starting from one end, make small folds continuously until foil is sealed and resembles a pizza pocket.
Set aside at room temp. Foil packets will go on the grill with the fish.

The Final Dish

Ingredients:
1 stuffed and trussed Loup de Mer
2 ratatouille foil pockets
1 lemon, cut in half
1 head of garlic, previously roasted
1/2 bunch of fresh basil leaves, picked and torn

Heat BBQ to medium high (400°F).
Gently brush the fish with oil on all sides and season with salt.
Place both the fish and the foiled ratatouille on the grill, ensuring you have a spray bottle of water handy for flare-ups.
Grill the fish and the ratatouille for 5 mins.
Add the lemons to the grill cut-side down, and place garlic in a cooler spot or on top rack.
Flip the fish and the ratatouille, ensuring you do not puncture the foil when flipping. Set your timer for another 5 mins.
Gently flip the fish again and turn down the grill to medium low.
Flip the ratatouille and turn the burner on that side of the grill off. At this point there is enough steam in the package to allow it to cook to slightly firm.
After 3 mins, turn the fish for the last time, close the BBQ lid and turn off the grill.
Grill for 5-8 more mins. This will allow the fish to finish cooking and rest at the same time. If you cut into the fish too quickly after it’s been grilled it will lose moisture, so it’s important to rest the fish prior to serving.
Using tongs and a flipper, transfer the foil package to the centre of a serving platter. Using scissors, snip the centre and peel back the foil in opposite directions.
Using tongs and flipper, place the fish in the centre of the ratatouille, and snip and remove strings. Surround the plate with roasted garlic and grilled lemon.
Serve & enjoy!