BLACK BASS POACHED WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

Black Bass Poached With Ginger and Scallions image

When the chef Eric Ripert took over the kitchen of Le Bernardin in the early 1990s, he took some liberties with the traditional French menu and added seafood dishes with Asian influences, like this black bass poached with ginger and scallions.

Provided by Florence Fabricant

Time 2h30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1 medium leek, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
1 ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
1/2 bay leaf, crumbled
4 cups of water
Salt to taste
1 sprig each fresh dill, basil and mint
8 scallions, split lengthwise
1 whole ripe tomato
1 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
4 six-ounce fillets of black bass, with skin
1/2 lemon, peeled, seeded and diced fine
20 coriander leaves, cut in slivers

Steps:

Place the wine, vinegar, coarsely chopped vegetables, coriander and fennel seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf in a saucepan. Add water, bring to a boil, season with salt, and simmer about a half hour. Remove from heat, add the dill, basil and mint, and steep the herbs for an hour. Strain the broth and transfer to a deep saute pan large enough to hold the fish in one layer.
Bring the broth to a simmer, add the scallions, tomato and ginger, cook about a minute and remove with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid. Peel, seed and dice the tomato. Cut the ginger slices julienne style. Set the vegetables aside.
With a sharp knife, lightly score the skin side of the fillets in a crisscross pattern to prevent them from curling. Bring the broth back to a very gentle simmer, place the fish in the broth skin side down and poach until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to soup plates.
Bring the broth to a simmer again, spoon some over the fish and top the fish with the scallions, diced tomato, ginger and lemon pieces. Garnish with the coriander and serve. Freeze any leftover liquid for future use.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 299, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 32 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 1599 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams