Guernsey Sea Bass Fillet, Rocquette Cider & Seafood Minestrone

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1200g Sea Bass Fillet

500g Fish Bones for Stock

500ml Rocquette Dry Cider

100ml Dry White Wine

150g Courgettes

100g Shallots

225g Tomatoes

100g Carrot

80g Spaghetti

100g Palourdes or Mussels

12 Scallops

100g Queen Scallops

100g White Crab Meat

1pkt Tarragon

1pkt Chives

1 Clove Garlic

1 Fennel Bulb

50g Guernsey Butter

Olive Oil / Salt / Pepper

Method:

Prepare a fish stock by firstly rinsing the fish bones in plenty of cold water. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan; add the garlic, half of the chopped shallots and half of the fennel bulb and fry for 5 minutes without colouring. Pick the herbs and add the stalks to the above with the white wine. Increase the heat until boiling, reduce the white wine by half, add the fish bones to the pan together with about 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum from the surface. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes before straining through a fine sieve. For a clearer stock pass through a fine muslin cloth again. Allow to cool. Refrigerate until required.

To prepare the minestrone heat some olive oil in a large saucepan, add diced shallots, carrot, fennel and cook gently for 5 minutes until soft. Add the reduced fish stock and Cider, bring to boiling point before adding the snipped pasta, cook until tender before adding the diced courgette, cherry tomatoes and chopped herbs. Add the palourdes, freshly picked crab meat and queen scallops, season to taste and set aside ready to serve.

Season the Sea Bass fillets both sides and seal in a hot non-stick pan skin side down, when beginning to colour, turn each fillet over and place the pan in a hot oven for 5 – 6 minutes.

Sear the seasoned Scallops in a separate non-stick pan and add to the seafood minestrone broth.

Serve the broth into large bowls with a portion of Sea Bass and seared Scallops on top.

Finally shave a little Parmesan Cheese upon the top prior to serving.