Sea bass with sautéed porcini, wild mushrooms, sage, crispy Serrano ham and Truffle

I’ve not been posting for a while due to me stupidly breaking my hand and wrist, god what a pillock !
Whilst being handicapped it gave me time to study my cookbooks and devise new recipes .
For a while now I’ve been posting fish dishes and today’s recipe is another delicious sea bass dish using autumn flavours, with freshly picked wild mushrooms, porcini mushrooms and because I’m decadent fresh black autumn truffle!!!
I love mushrooms 🍄 and at this time of year there’s an abundance of varieties and my definite favourite is the porcini , full of earthy meaty flavour, an italian delicacy .

Porcini (Boletus edulis) are considered by some to be one of the most delicious mushrooms, so it’s no surprise its scientific name means “Superior Mushroom.”
The name porcini means “piglets” in Italian. They’re also known as the king bolete, cèpe (in French), Steinpilz (the “stone mushroom” in German), and a host of other fun names from all over the world. The Latin name is Boletus Edulis

You can find porcini mushrooms on the ground in hardwood forests near pine, chestnut, hemlock, and spruce. They fruit in the summer to fall. But be careful , I wouldn’t advise anyone to go out foraging unless you know what your looking for!!!

Ingredients
Serves 4

H6 tbsp olive oil
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g/7oz mixed wild mushrooms, chopped
200g fresh porcini
12 fresh sage leaves

300ml/11fl oz fish stock
75g Serrano ham, chopped (reserve 4 whole slices)
4 x 175g sea bass fillets( wild line caught is my preference) , skin on and scored to prevent curling.

1x 10/20g autumn truffle (0ptional)

Preparation method

1, Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a wok, add the shallot and garlic, and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
2, Add the chopped mushrooms and four of the sage leaves and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring well. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3, Add the fish stock and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook until most of the stock has evaporated. Stir in the chopped Serrano ham.

4, Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and fry the remaining sage leaves and slices of ham for 1-2 minutes, or until just crisp. Remove the sage leaves and ham from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

5, Add the sea bass fillets, skin-side down to the same frying pan and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Carefully turn the fillets over and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, or until the sea bass is cooked through.

6, To serve, spoon the mushroom mixture onto serving plates, sit a sea bass fillet on top of each pile of mushrooms. Top with the crispy sage, one slice of Serrano ham and if your decadent like me shaved truffle slices😜

If you’re still nervous about trying this dish I can come and cook it for you !🍴🔪
For mor info don’t hesitate to mail or call:
simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0031 (0)642297107