Recipe - Pan-fried sea bass stuffed with mozzarella and served with couscous salad, a tomato and pepper dressing, smoked anchovy beignets and deep fri

Pan-fried sea bass stuffed with mozzarella and served with couscous salad, a tomato and pepper dressing, smoked anchovy beignets and deep fried basil leaves
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
2 x 125g thick sea bass fillets (see tip 1)
2 x slices buffalo mozzarella
1 tbsp olive oil
a little freshly squeezed lemon juice, to season
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepperFOR THE PESTO
bunch fresh basil leaves (about 15g)
40g pine nuts
10g finely grated Parmesan
1 garlic clove, peeled
75ml extra virgin olive oilFOR THE COUSCOUS
25g sultanas
75ml cold water
3 sprigs of thyme
1 garlic clove
1 tsp chicken bouillion or ¼ chicken stock cube
75ml quick cook couscous
1 spring onion
half a Granny Smith apple, cored
small bunch fresh mint (about 10g), tough stalks removed
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oilFOR THE TOMATO AND PEPPER DRESSING
half a red pepper and half a yellow pepper, deseeded
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, unpeeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 plum tomatoes
half a small red onion, peeled and cut into small, neat squares
25g black olives in olive oil, drained
1 tsp miniature capers, drained
½-1 tsp balsamic vinegarFOR THE ANCHOVY BEIGNETS
25g tempura flour (see tip 2)
25ml cold sparkling water
4 smoked anchovies
mild olive oil for fryingFOR THE BASIL LEAVES
sunflower oil, for frying
a few small fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry on kitchen paper
METHOD
FOR THE PESTO
Put all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor with seasoning and blend until smooth. Add extra oil if necessary to reach a soft, smooth consistency. Pour into a squeezy bottle and set aside (see tip 3). FOR THE COUSCOUS
Put the sultanas in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for 30 minutes then drain.
Heat the water with the thyme, garlic and bouillon powder or stock cube until boiling. Pour over couscous in a bowl. Cover with cling film and leave for 15 minutes.
Trim and very finely slice the spring onion. Thinly slice on a mandolin, then chop into tiny dice. Finely shred the mint leaves. Remove cling film from couscous and fluff up with a fork. Toss sultanas, spring onions, apple, mint, lime juice and olive oil with couscous. Season to taste. see tip 4 FOR THE TOMATO AND PEPPER DRESSING
Blister the skins on the peppers with a cook’s blow torch or over a gas flame (see tip 5). Put in a bowl with lots of cold water and handful of ice cubes. Rub off the skins and drain on kitchen paper. Cut the peppers into small, very neat squares. see tip 6
Heat half the oil a hot frying pan and gently cook the pepper with the garlic and thyme for 8-10 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Make a small slit in the skin of each tomato. Plunge into a bowl of just-boiled water. Leave for 10 seconds then carefully remove and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slip off the skins from the tomatoes. Deseed and cut into small, neat squares. Slice the olives by cutting each side of the stone (discard the stones).
Skin the red onion and cut into small, neat squares. Heat the remaining oil in a small pan and cook the onion for 1-2 minutes until just softened.
Remove the peppers from the heat. Lift out the garlic and thyme with a fork and stir in the tomatoes, red onion, capers and olives (see tip 7). Season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Add extra olive oil if necessary. FOR THE FISH
Score the fish skin three times with a sharp knife. Cut each fish horizontally twice almost all the way through the middle – from two different sides - and open out into two sections.
Place a slice of mozzarella on the bottom section, top with a little pesto and close.
Wrap tightly in cling film to make a neat shape. Steam over a high heat for 4 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, then unwrap and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the oil in a hot frying pan, season the fish and fry – skin-side down - over a medium heat for 1 ½ minutes until golden brown around the edges.
Place straight into a hot oven at 220°C/gas 7 for 3 ½ minutes. Carefully remove and turn over with a spatula. Return to the oven for a further 2-3 minutes or until cooked (see tip 8).
FOR THE ANCHOVY BEIGNETS
Mix the tempura flour with the water until smooth. Dip the anchovies into the batter and then deep fry in hot sunflower or vegetable oil at 180°C until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry on kitchen paper. FOR THE BASIL LEAVES
Heat about 5cm of sunflower oil in a small saucepan to around 180C and carefully add the basil leaves. Fry for a few seconds until crisp but not brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.TO PRESENT THE DISH
Place a 6cm cooking ring on a warmed plate. Fill with about 2.5cm of the couscous salad and remove the ring.
Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fish and place on top of the couscous.
Spoon the tomato and pepper dressing carefully around the plate.
Arrange the anchovy beignets on the plate.
Drizzle with a little pesto.
Garnish with fried basil leaves and serve (see tip 9).
Recipe tips
Thick cod fillet can be used instead of the sea bass.
If you can’t find tempura flour, plain flour can be used instead. It won’t be quite as light, but the results are similar.
Keep leftover pesto in the fridge for up to 1 week and use for pasta dishes and sauces. Alternatively freeze for up to 1 month which helps retain the colour. Thaw before using.
Leftover couscous salad will keep for another day in the fridge. Eat for lunch or supper with simply grilled chicken or fish.
If you don’t feel confident enough to skin your own peppers, buy marinated peppers and remove the skins before cutting into squares.
Cut the peppers, tomatoes and onion into very neat squares – each one should be about 1.5cm.
Make sure to use marinated olives not those canned in olive oil or salted olives.
The fish is cooked perfectly when a cocktail stick slides easily into the centre.
If you don’t have time to fry the basil leaves, garnish the plate with a few small fresh basil leaves instead.