Black Sea Bass is best when steamed

For the Fish

Score the fish with a sharp knife a few times across the skin where the fish is thickest. This will allow the fillet to steam more evenly. Season both sides of the fish fillet with salt and pepper.

For the Vegetables

Dice the fennel, zucchini and tomatoes. Add the vegetable nage to a frying pan with a cover and bring to a boil. Season lightly. Add the fennel first since it will longer to cook. Cook the fennel for a few minutes until slightly al dente with the cover on. Add the zucchini for another minute. Then lay the fish on top of the vegetables allowing it to steam in the nage vapors. After a minute of steaming add the tomatoes and a few basil leaves. The fish should be steamed within 2-3 minutes. Poke the blade of a knife into the fillet to check. Garnish with fresh basil

Assembly:

Put the cooked vegetables and tomatoes in a warm dish. Add some vegetable nage and then place the fish fillet on top.

Drizzle a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil over the fish and vegetables. Season with sea salt.

You can steam a whole small black sea bass easily by laying it on top of vegetables, e.g., fennel stems, spring onions, carrots etc. then add the liquid to just beneath the fish. After seasoning the inside and out of the fish, stuff the belly with herbs and garlic. I prefer to have about 1/4 of the steaming liquid composed of the the wine I will drink. A small fish only needs about 8-10 minutes of steaming if the pan has a good seal.

Here the whole fish is garnished with dice zucchini, fennel, new potatoes, tomatoes and garlic... a saffron sauce was made using the liquid from the steamed fish and garnished with chopped parsely.

Wine Notes:

A rose from provence.