Sea Bass en Papillote with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Long before the days of aluminum foil, the French learned cooking food in parchment, most especially fish, was a way to seal in juices and flavors.
French chefs learned in the 18th Century that parchment paper will not combust in an oven kept below 400°F. They further discovered that cooking foods in sealed parchment, particular fish, was a great way to prepare it, allowing the food to steep in its own juices and those of any vegetables, wine or seasonings that might have been added.
En Papillote
Cooking in parchment also makes a nice plate presentation that has sadly gone out of style. Up until a few year’s ago, one could order Pompano en Papillote at Arnaud’s Restaurant in New Orleans but last glance at their menu, I see that has been discontinued. Were it not for the mashed potatoes and broth that accompanies this dish, I would actually serve it en papillote, but I, too, must bow to the modern world in preparing this dish in aluminum foil pouches to achieve the same culinary effect, but without the retro-showmanship.
This the only dish in my repertoire that I actually created from the description of another dish My Number One Fan had told me about. Usually, I have the benefit of eating a dish personally, then recreating it to my own recollection, or I have the recipe outright. So, in essence, this was a recipe by hearsay.
My Number One Fan used to take an annual junket with her mother to Las Vegas and spend four days palling around, shooting craps, seeing the Vegas shows, eating in nice restaurants and shooting more craps. These trips occurred with some regularity throughout the 1990s, as Vegas was reinventing itself and attracting some quality culinary talent with upscale eateries.
I don't remember from which of these restaurants that she shared details about this dish, but she told me about a Sea Bass dinner she had eaten that was served on mashed potatoes with a seasoned broth. Intrigued, I began experimenting with the idea, and this is ultimately what I came up with. I really don't recall if I got accolades for getting the recipe close to what she ate in Las Vegas, but I did get accolades nonetheless for a dish that is delicious, and while the presentation is not en papillote, it is still visually arresting.
As far as I know, the wasabi addition to the mashed potatoes was my innovation to the intended recipe and it works really well against the broth and julienne of onions and peppers, and the mushroom broth that accompanies the dish. While technically this dish is not en papillote, “Sea Bass en Aluminum” just doesn't sound very good, so I am taking some poetic license with my title.
I have used both beef and vegetable stock to make the broth, and I know the latter sounds weird with a fish dish. The dish My Number One Fan described would have been undoubtedly served with a fish broth, which isn’t something readily available; it would have to be made from scratch. I think I actually prefer the beef broth. The subtle, butteriness of the sea bass, infused with the herbs and veggies, seems to bounce off of the heartiness of the broth, which then stands up well to the horseradish twang of the mashed potatoes. It ends up being a concert of unusual ingredients that seems to play together very well.
Sea Bass en Papillote with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chilean sea bass, filleted, skin removed and cut into 4 portions
- 1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into thin julienne strips
- 1/2 small green onion, cut into thin julienne strips
- 4 twigs fresh oregano (do not use dried)
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 4 tsp dry white wine
- 3-4 grinds freshly cracked black pepper per portion
- 2 cups beef stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 2 tbsp veal demi-glace (like, Williams-Sonoma or substitute Better Than Bouillon Roast Beef Base)
- 1/2 lb fresh crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 5-6 grinds fresh cracked black pepper
- 5-6 medium sized Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into even sized pieces
- 4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick butter)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3-4 wasabi paste (like, S&B)
- 4 tbsp table salt for the water
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 8-10 grinds fresh cracked black pepper.
Instructions
- Melt the butter and add the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté until they collapse and brown, about 15 minutes.
- Add the garlic ans sauté a minute more,
- Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add the demi-glace and melt it into the sauce with a whisk.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and allow the sauce to reduce by 1/2 cup.
- Season with salt and pepper only after the broth has reduced.
- Put your potato pieces in a kettle of cold salted water seasoned with the tables salt and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil and allow the potatoes to cook until fork tender, about 30-40 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes well.
- Fold in the butter and allow it to melt while the potatoes remain uncovered, steaming off additional moisture.
- When the butter has melted, add the cream and the wasabi, and either mash your potatoes with a potato masher, or whip them with an electric mixer.
- Check the flavor and more wasabi to your liking, add the sea salt and more freshly cracked black pepper if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lay out 4 sheets of aluminum foil to accommodate the sea bass. Place the filet of Sea Bass fish in the center of each sheet, and put a bit of the julienne of red bell pepper, green onion and a sprig of fresh oregano on top. Drizzle with olive oil and white wine.
- Give a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper, but add no salt. Salt at this point will leach too much water out of the fish.
- Tent the foil, leaving a space inside the packet above the ingredients. You want to leave room for the steam to surround the fish and infused it with all the flavors you've added to the packet. Make sure you properly seal the foil tent by folding and crimping the edges.
- Put your foil packets on a sheet pan or cookie sheet in case they spring leaks, and put the pan in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil packets from the oven, and carefully open them, keeping your face away from any rising steam. You will find that some liquid has accumulated in each packet. Pour this liquid into your saucepan with the mushrooms and broth, and stir it in well.
- Remove and discard the sprigs of oregano.
- To serve this dish, put a helping of the wasabi mashed potatoes into a low and wide soup bowl or pasta bowl. Place the sea bass with the red bell peppers and green onions on top of the potatoes.
- Spoon the broth and mushrooms around the fish on top of the potatoes and serve.
Notes
- Ask your fish purveyor to remove the skin of the sea bass for you; it is otherwise an arduous task for unskilled or untrained hands.
