Elderflower and Sea Bass

You might wonder why I have a picture of Anthony Bourdain on my post about elderflower and sea bass.... well I thought I would sneak in one of my guilty pleasures - watching No Reservations.  I just cannot get enough of the laconic monologues about food and life in general.  The format of taking Tony and plonking him in some obscure place and watching him eat and drink his way through mostly guts and entrails with some fine dining thrown in does not sound like the kind of show that I would normally be into but the witty insight into cooking and eating just escalates the show to whole new level.


This recipe came from one of those great episodes of No Reservations - in fact it was the 100th episode where Tony goes back to Paris..... and in amongst a Smörgåsbord of meats was this gem of a piece on Iñaki Aizpitarte and his restaurant http://www.lechateaubriand.net/, and this dish.... sea bass with elderflower and  mascarpone.

The dish looked so delicious that I decided to re-create it.


Sea Bream with Asparagus, Mascarpone and Elderflower

Couple fillets of sea bream
Mascarpone
Asparagus (Aizpitarte used white asparagus but I used green instead.... cannot bear the white stuff)
Elderflowers
Butter

Well it all starts of course with the elderflower... freshly picked... do not let that elderflower hang around too much as it will begin to really stink!

Prepare the elderflower by picking off the flowers from the stalks.... really get all the green stalks away - you just need those tender white flowers.  Take your time and you will be rewarded.Gently rinse the flowers in water and drain on some kitchen paper.

Gently boil your asparagus for about 5-7 minutes then quickly drain and keep aside.

In a frying pan with a little oil of choice .... butter preferably gently fry your sea bream fillets and then set aside.   Heat up some more butter (a 50g or so) and add to the sea bream pan.  Once the butter has fully melted and starts to bubble add the elderflowers and gently fry until golden brown... this should not take too long.

Prepare your plate by placing a dollop of mascarpone on the plate and then smearing across the plate with the back of the spoon.  Place the cooked sea bream on top and then the asparagus.  Gently spoon the butter/elderflower over the fish.

It should look a little something like this... and it tastes devine... trust me.  One of those few dishes that is truly inspiring... glad I found you!