Sunday Supper: Chilean Sea Bass with a Garden Arugula Salad

I am funny about fish. No problems if I catch it and clean but in a restaurant if I cannot see the eyes or gills before it is cooked I really struggle. The Chilean Sea Bass at Whole Foods Short Pump looked too good to pass up earlier this week. The recipe above can be done with any big meaty steak-like white fish: halibut, rockfish, or Chilean sea bass.

I take the fish and do a cross hatch cut mid way down the thickness of the steak. Using my mortar and pestle I crush fresh peppercorns and Hawaiian sea salt together to make a rough course mixture. Dice 3 cloves of garlic and slice 4-6 cherry tomatoes.

Heat olive oil in an oven proof pan, add tomatoes skin side down just enough to blister then remove from pan. Add garlic and continue to stir until almost crystallized then remove from pan. Add fish to the pan and allow to cook resting for a minute or two** then sprinkle with the salt pepper mixture. Turning the pan so the oil comes to one side, use a spoon to coat filets - constantly turning oil with a spoon onto the filets for a couple of minutes.

Place pan under broiler in the oven until the texture of the fish is to your liking. Sprinkle with the garlic, cherry tomatoes, and salt/pepper mixture. Recently we have been skipping the starch in our meals so this was served with a sliced fresh avocado and an arugula salad freshly picked that night from the E.A.T. garden tossed in a simple olive oil and goat cheese mixture.

A very satisfying elegant mid week meal!

**E.A.T. tip: At this point I slide a metal spatula under neath to loosen the skin from the pan.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well