Baked fillet of sea bass in puff pastry with buttered asparagus and oyster foam

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Heat a lightly oiled, large frying pan, add the sea bass fillet and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Remove, cool and cut into 2 even-sized pieces.

2. Wrap the sealed fillets of bass in the blanched spinach leaves. Spread the dill mustard on the puff pastry, lay 1 piece of the sea bass on top, then the cold saffron rice, season and lay the other piece of sea bass on top.

3. Egg-wash the edges of the puff pastry and fold the pastry over the sea bass, pressing together the edges and creating a puff pastry parcel.

4. Place the puff pastry parcel on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden brown.

5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the shallots and cook very gently without colouring for 5 minutes.

6. Add the white wine, thyme and bay leaf, bring to the boil and cook briskly until reduced by two-thirds.

7. Add the fish stock and cook briskly until reduced by half. Pour in the the cream and reduce by a third.

8. Take the sauce off the heat, add the oyster juice, season and pass the liquid through a fine sieve. Blitz with a hand blender to create a foam. 

9. Remove the fish parcel from the oven. Slice it into 2 and place in the centre of a plate on a bed of spinach.

10. Meanwhile, warm the blanched asparagus spears through in a pan with the butter. Gently warm the oysters by mixing them with a little of the oyster foam.

11. Place the asparagus spears on top of the fish parcel, then top with the warmed oyster. Drizzle the oyster foam around each plate, garnish with chervil and serve at once.