Sea Bass with Granville Sauce, spinach & puy lentils

Courtesy of Age & Sons, Ramsgate
Granville sauce is an old English recipe - brilliant with pan fried or poached fish which we have slightly tweaked at Age & Sons.

Serves 6
Preparation time:  20 mins   
Cooking time:    30 mins    

What you need:

For the Granville Sauce:
150g tin of anchovies in oil
150g sliced shallots
4 tbsp (60ml) Amontillado sherry
4 tbsp (60ml) whipping cream
1/2 whole nutmeg
1 saucepan

For the rest:
6 fillets sea bass – 200g/person to be portioned before cooking
600g mature spinach
Rapeseed oil/vegetable oil
Extra virgin olive oil
600g puy lentils
Maldon sea salt & black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 non stick frying pan
1 wok/saucepan
1 saucepan

What you do:

Granville sauce:

  • Sweat anchovies and shallots together in the anchovy oil until shallots are translucent.
  • Gently stir in sherry, cream and grate in nutmeg. Simmer gently until thickened.


Puy lentils

  • Put the lentils in the saucepan, cover them with water and simmer for about 20 minutes making sure you have enough water covering the lentils.
  • When they are cooked, drain.
  • Pour in a good glug of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Season with salt & pepper and add lemon juice to taste



Sea bass (Brill is a good alternative):

  • Bone, scale & gut the sea bass and portion out 200g/person.  Fishmongers will usually do this for you if        you ask them.  Create incisions on the skin to allow the heat to go in and stop the fish from curling.
  • Season fish with salt & pepper
  • Pour a little vegetable oil into the frying pan and heat on a low temperature
  • Put fish skin side down into warm (NOT hot) pan and cook for about 8 minutes
  • Chef says ‘resist the temptation of flipping the fish until just before serving’
  • When the fish is cooked two thirds through, turn it over for the last couple of seconds
  • The low temperature will give the fish an even colour


Spinach

  • Wash the spinach and drain.  If you have a salad spinner, give it a quick spin
  • Heat some rapeseed oil or vegetable oil in the wok and stir fry the spinach until it is wilted seasoning with salt and pepper
  • If you prefer baby spinach, you can just add it fresh to the puy lentils


Serve with a bottle of Hix & Buck’s delicious Isidora Rosé.

Bon appetit!


With thanks to the fabulous brother/sister duo Harriet and Toby, proprietors Age & Sons Restaurant, Ramsgate
Signature dish by Toby Leigh, Executive Head Chef
Age & Sons have been awarded a Bib Gourmand 2010 from Michelin

Age & Sons, Charlotte Court, Ramsgate, CT11 8HE
Tel: 01843 851 515
www.ageandsons.co.uk