1 sea bass, weighing about 1.5 kg
A little melted butter, for brushing
1 quantity Beurre blanc, made with fish stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE BEURRE BLANC:
50 g shallots, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth, such as Noilly Prat
6 tablespoons water or Fish Stock (recipe here)
2 tablespoons double cream
175 g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat the grill to high. Brush the fish with some melted butter and season inside and out with salt and black pepper. Put on a buttered baking tray and grill for about 10 minutes on each side, until the flesh is firm and opaque close to the bone and shows signs of coming away from the bone quite easily. Meanwhile, make the beurre blanc and pass through a sieve into a clean warm jug. Serve the fish whole and fillet it at the table onto 4 warmed plates. Hand round the beurre blanc separately.
For the beurre blanc
Put the shallots, vinegar, wine or vermouth, water or stock into a small pan and simmer until reduced to about 4 tablespoons. Add the cream and boil until reduced a little more. Lower the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with wilted spinach.
