Nordic-Inspired Striped Bass with Swedish-Style Potato & Fennel Salad

Living on the Mediterranean Sea for so many years gave me such a love for bright and fresh combinations of ingredients that were simple yet telling of stories from visitors from all over Europe. This salad and fish combination reminiscent of Nordic flavors is perfect for that seaside experience that transports you to another place. The dressing here is simply lemon juice and olive oil. However, the addition of a touch of yogurt to the emulsion would make for a lovely creamy dressing that would work very well here as well.

Nordic-Inspired Striped Bass with Swedish-Style Potato & Fennel Salad

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Nordic-Inspired

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

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Salad

• 4 small Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and cut into ¾” dice
• 1 medium bulb Fennel fennel fronds reserved
• 1 large Yellow Heirloom Tomato
• 1 bunch Microgreens divided
• 1 bunch Pea Shoots or Sunflower Sprouts for garnish
• 2 large sprigs Fresh Dill
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Fish

• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil
• 4 – 5oz Striped Bass Fillets Pat dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture
• Flake Sea Salt such as Maldon
• Lemon

Instructions

 

• To make the salad, parboil the potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Do not overcook because you want them to be firm within the salad mixture. Slice the fennel bulb in half lengthwise and using a hand-held mandolin, slice the fennel into thin strips across the length of the bulb. If using a knife, just cut the fennel into the thinnest possible strips you can. Core the tomato and cut into thin strips. If the strips are too long you can cut them down a bit. You want the fennel strips and the tomato strips to be similar in scale or length.
• Combine the potatoes, fennel, tomatoes, three-quarters of the microgreens and the shoots or sprouts into a large mixing bowl and mix nicely. Strip the leaves from the dill sprigs and combine with the salad gently.
• In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and the lemon juice to make the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Dress the salad lightly with the dressing being careful not to overdress the salad at first. You can always add a little bit of dressing is you like it a bit more moist.
• In a large non-stick skillet over high heat, add the grapeseed oil until it comes to a shimmering state. Swirl the pan around a bit to coat the pan. Salt each fillet with the sea salt on all sides. Add the fish fillets to the pan away from you to prevent splashing onto you and, using a fish spatula, or other wide metal spatula, hold down each of the fillets with the spatula as they go in to allow the skin to be in full contact with the pan surface and to prevent the skin from curling up. Do this through the first minute or so with each fillet as you get them all in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes total until you see the fish starting to become opaque around the edges. Tilt the pan and baste the fish with the oil and juices that have accumulated in the pan for about 30 seconds. At this point, the fish should be able to release nicely from the pan. Flip each fillet very carefully using your spatula and the tip of your finger to hold the top of the fish as you flip it. Cook on the flesh side for just 30 seconds and remove from the pan. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over each fillet.
• To present, place a generous portion of the salad on one side of each plate. Gently tilt each bass fillet against the salad mixture and garnish with the rest of the micro greens, reserved fennel fronds and an extra squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle with the flake salt to finish.

Notes

1. If you can’t find microgreens, you can substitute baby arugula, spinach, or your favorite salad greens. If they are larger, just chop them a bit to make everything approximately the same size for your presentation. 

2. It is important to dry the fish, so that you can get the skin crispy in the pan, which adds another dimension to the flavor and texture of this dish. 

3. You can also use one of our other Vinaigrette Varieties for other flavor combinations. 

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