Fancy meal at home: Spring Sea Bream with Pea & Mint and Fennel
This dish is built around fresh sea bream, cooked simply in olive oil to let its natural flavor come through. It’s served with a smooth pea and mint purée, which adds a light sweetness and a bit of freshness without overpowering the fish.
The fennel beurre blanc brings everything together, rich, buttery, and gently aromatic, while a crisp fennel salad on top adds texture and a clean, slightly sharp contrast.
It’s a balanced plate that leans on a few well-chosen ingredients, each playing its part without overcomplicating things.
If you like seafood, you should check out Mediterranean Sea Bass and Sea Bass with Fondant Potatoes recipes. Also, Turkish Fish Sandwich is a very quick and delicious meal option!
Watch the recipes in action on the FırınForno YouTube channel and follow FırınForno on Instagram for daily posts!
Spring Sea Bream with Pea & Mint and Fennel
Course: MainDifficulty: Medium2
servings45
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- 2 fillets of sea bream
- Pea & Mint Puree
150 g peas
15 g butter
1 tbsp cream (optional)
8 mint leaves
Lemon zest
Salt & pepper
Splash of lemon juice
Ice water
- Fennel Beurre Blanc
1 small fennel bulb, very fine brunoise
1 shallot or ¼ onion, fine brunoise
100 ml light chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp rice vinegar (optional but recommended)
50 g cold unsalted butter, diced
10 ml cream
Salt & pepper
- Fennel Salad
100 g lentils, cooked
1 small fennel bulb, shaved very thin
1 orange (segmented, juice reserved)
Zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper
Mint, for garnish
Directions
- Pea & Mint Puree
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Blanch the peas for 1½–2 minutes, until just tender and bright green.
- Transfer immediately to ice water to stop the cooking.
- Drain thoroughly.
- Blend the peas with butter, mint, salt, a splash of cream, and a little lemon juice until smooth.
- Check the seasoning.
- Pass through a fine chinois for a silky texture.
- Finish with a touch of lemon zest.
- Fennel Beurre Blanc
- Sweat onion and fennel in a small amount of butter. No colour. Keep it translucent.
- Add vinegar and reduce until almost dry (au sec).
- Add stock and reduce again on a low heat by 2/3 until slightly syrupy.
- Pass through fine chinois.
- Return liquid to low heat.
- Mount with butter: over very low heat, whisk in cold butter cube by cube.
- Add a dollop of cream and remove from the heat.
- Emulsify with hand blender. Sauce should be glossy and cover the back of a spoon.
- Adjust salt, white pepper.
- Finish with a few drops lemon juice.
- Fennel Salad
- Cook the lentils in salted water until tender but still holding their shape, then drain and let them cool.
- Shave the fennel bulb very thinly using a mandoline or sharp knife.
- Segment the orange, keeping any juice aside for the dressing.
- In a bowl, combine the cooled lentils, shaved fennel, and orange segments.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the reserved orange juice with olive oil, lemon juice, orange zest, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Finish with fresh mint leaves just before serving.
- Assemble
- In a pan, heat olive oil (shallow fry).
- When the oil is hot, start cooking the sea bream fillets skin-side down.
- When the skin is golden and crispy, cook the flesh side for a minute.
- Place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper.
- Warm up all the other elements of the dish and plate as you desire.