Barbecued Sea Bass on Samphire

BBQ Seabass ready to serve

Sea bass makes an excellent fish to cook on the barbecue. By filling the sea bass cavity with sprigs of fennel you impart a fresh and delicious taste to the fish. The fish is then served on a bed of steamed samphire that has been tossed in a little butter and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper. A freshly prepared garlic alioli makes a simple but flavoursome sauce to serve with the fish. TO cook the fish you will need a fish grilling rack and the barbecue should not be too hot.

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Prep: Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Sea bass

  • 1 large sea bass (1.5kg)
  • 1 bulb of fresh fennel, roughly chopped (sprigs left on)
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Samphire

  • 300g samphire, tough stalk trimmed leaving the tender sprigs
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • juice of 1/4 of a lime
  • freshly ground black pepper

Alioli

  • 2 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • juice of half a lime
  • 300ml olive oil
  • maldon salt

Method

  1. Sea Bass: Bring a barbecue to a medium low heat. Fill the cavity of the fish with the fennel, garlic and rosemary sprigs. Season the fish with a little salt and pepper and place it in a barbecue fish rack.
  2. Place the fish on the barbecue and cook it for 7-8 minutes on each side being careful not to overcook it. The fish is ready when it eyes are opaque and the flesh is firm to touch. Serve or keep warm until ready to serve.
  3. Samphire: Rinse the samphire in plenty of water. Bring some water to the boil in the bottom of a steamer. Place the samphire in the top half of the steamer and steam it for 3-5 minutes until just tender and hot. Toss the samphire in a bowl with the butter, lime juice, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve or keep warm until ready to serve.
  4. Alioli: Place the egg yolks in a blender with the garlic, lime juice, Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt. Process it briefly so that the garlic is pureed. With the motor running gradually add the olive oil until you have a thick emulsion (like mayonnaise). If you don' have a blender crush the garlic finely and whisk with the egg, lime juice and Dijon While whisking gradually add the olive oil until you have a thick sauce. Serve the alioli at once or cover and refrigerate it up to an hour in advance.
  5. To Serve: Place the samphire on a large serving plate. Place the sea bass on the bed of samphire and serve the fish with the garlic alioli