Roasted daurade with fennel, tomatoes, olives, and preser

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
For the Braised Fennel-
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
8 Heads of organic baby fennel
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Chicken stock
For the Confit Tomatoes:
4 Field-ripened organic
Tomatoes
Coarse sea salt to taste
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
8 Thyme branches
4 To 6 cloves of garlic
Pepper to taste
For the Preserved Lemon
Zest:
8 Lemons
1 cup Sugar
Salt to taste
1 cup Fresh lemon juice
For the Daurade Stock:
2 tablespoons Olive oil
5 pounds Daurade bones (gills removed
And iced)
1 cup Shallots
1 cup Fennel root
½ cup Garlic cloves
10 Basil stems
20 Dried fennel sticks
2 gallons Cold chicken stock
For the Daurade:
1 cup Daurade stock
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 Whole daurade, cut into
Fillets
Braised fennel
½ cup Pitted late harvest olives
Confit tomatoes
2 tablespoons Basil leaves
Preserved lemon zest
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preparation of the Braised Fennel: Heat a heavy saucepan on full flame. Add the olive oil and trimmed heads of baby fennel and sweat for one minute. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze with chicken stock to cover. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer covered until fennel is tender, approximately fifteen minutes. Chill in stock over ice and set aside.

Preparation of the Confit Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Boil the tomatoes in water for ten seconds, then peel and quarter them. Place the tomatoes in a pan with the salt, oil, thyme, and garlic. Cook at a low temperature for three to four hours or until tomatoes are half their original size. Reserve in the oil.

Preparation of the Preserved Lemon Zest: Zest the lemons with no pith into strips ⅓ inch wide and two inches long. Place them in a pot of cold water and bring to a rolling boil.

Strain and repeat two more times. Mix the sugar, salt, and lemon juice in a sauce pot and add the blanched lemon zest. Simmer for twenty minutes at low heat until zest is soft, tart, and sweet.

Reserve in liquid for up to one week, refrigerated.

Preparation of the Daurade Stock: Heat a large-bottomed heavy sauce pan over a high flame. Add olive oil and cut up fish bones that have been patted dry. Sweat for two minutes and add chopped vegetables, garlic, basil stems, and fennel sticks. Sweat five minutes and cover with the cold chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, skim, and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain through a cheese cloth and cool.

Preparation of the Sauce:

Reduce the daurade stock to ⅓ of a gallon and add ¼ up of the syrup from the candied lemon.

Season with sea salt and white pepper. Reserve warm.

Preparation of the Daurade:

Season the fillets with salt and white pepper and sear in a hot pan with olive oil. Warm the fennel, olives, tomatoes, and basil with a few strips of the lemon, finish with extra virgin olive oil, and serve under the fillets of daurade.

Yield: 4 servings

GOURMET GETAWAYS SHOW # GG1A04 from Mary Elaine's and Chef Alessandro Stratta

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