Sea bass with parsnip purée and parsnip crisps

Looking for something a little extra to cook on a Friday night in, we settled on this Michel Roux recipe as published on BBC goodfood. I’m not usually a massive parsnip fan, but this parsnip loaded dish is de-licious! Crunchy parsnip crisps contrast with the creamy parsnip purée, complementing the crispy skin and tender flesh of the sea bass.

In any Michel Roux recipe there’s usually at least one ingredient I don’t have in the cupboard or can’t easily buy in a local store– this time it was veal stock which I switched out for chicken stock. I also didn’t have the fish bones as my sea bass was already filleted, so simply left these out of the method (although I’d advise you to include for depth of flavour if you have them).

My adjusted/simplified version with a couple of tweaks is below. I’ve also removed the caramelised garlic and shallots – my personal preference is against large chunks of shallot/garlic on my plate, no matter how caramelised, and Michel’s method of boiling for 2 minutes, draining and repeating 4 times is a little too tedious for me.

You’ll need:
Olive oil
2 fillets of sea bass
2 shallots, sliced
40g button mushrooms, sliced
½ tbsp white wine vinegar
200ml chicken stock
½ tbsp butter
For the parsnip purée:
2 ½ parsnips
60ml milk
½ tbsp butter
For the parsnip crisps:
½ parsnip
Oil for deep drying (sunflower)

For the the parsnip crisps:
Peel the parsnips and then use a vegetable peeler to slice as thinly as possible.

Heat enough oil (a couple of centimetres) in a saucepan to allow you to deep fry the strips of parsnip until very hot.

Drop the parsnips into the hot oil until lightly browned (they will crisp up more once you take them out of the oil).

Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels to absorb the excess fat.

Depending on the size of your frying pan you may need to do this in batches – you only want a single layer of parsnips at a time in the hot oil. Set aside in a dry place until required – you can make up to a day ahead, stored in an air tight container.

For the parsnip purée:
Peel the parsnips and cut into big chunks. Drop into a saucepan of salted, boiling water until tender – about 20 mins.

Drain well, then put in a blender with the butter and some of the milk and blend until smooth: you’re aiming for the consistency of double cream so add more milk as necessary. Season to taste.

For the sauce:
Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and cook the sliced shallots for 5 mins until softened and golden.

Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and bring to the boil for 3 mins. Now add the stock, season lightly and simmer for 30 mins.

(At this stage Michel advises you to pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan. I wanted to keep the shallot/mushroom mixture though so I skipped this step.)

Whisk in the butter to thicken.

For the seabass:
Score the skin of the fish with a sharp knife – to help prevent curling during cooking.  Season with salt and pepper

Add a few drops of olive oil to a frying pan and heat until shimmering and very hot. Then add the fish, skin side down. Press down on the fish with a spatula if it begins to curl up.

Once the skin is browned (should take around 5 mins), turn the fillets over and cook the other side for a further 1 – 2 mins (timings dependant on the thickness of your fillets).

To serve:
Re-heat the puree if required and spoon on to warmed plates.
Pour the sauce around the purée and place the fish on top.
To complete, sprinkle over a few parsnip chips as a deliciously unhealthy garnish.