Pan Fried Sea Bass with Prawns with a Rich Prawn Broth

Serves 2

Takes just under 2 hours

A classy, good-restaurant quality meal, this is a delicious set of tastes; the sweet juicy sea bass and the vibrant prawns go very well with the rich, tomatoey, seafood sauce


Seafood:-

2 x 75g pieces of Sea Bass fillet, skin on

2 very large shell-on raw tiger prawns. Peel them, but keep the heads and tails

Prawn broth:-

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium tomatoes, quartered

1 stick celery, chopped

Half a small red chilli, very finely chopped

1 tspn finely chopped tarragon

Heads and shells of prawns

juice of half an orange and 2.5cm of zest

3 tspns creme fraiche

To serve:-

Robust leaves or wilted spinach


  • Preheat the oven to 220C. Place the prawn shells and heads and the tomatoes in a baking tray with a sprinkle of olive oil, a good grind of black pepper, and bake for 10 minutes. Place them in a small saucepan with the onion, celery, tarragon, orange zest, chilli and juice. Cover with water by an inch, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for one hour

  • When the sauce has been bubbling for an hour, strain, bring back to a boil, turn down to a simmer and reduce by a half. Stir in the crème fraiche. Keep warm

  • When ready to serve, the sauce should be served warm, not hot. Butterfly and devein the prawns. Then get a non-stick frying pan good and hot and drizzle with a little of your favourite fish frying oil. Put the prawns in, fry for a minute, then add the fish fillets, skin side down. Fry the fish for 1½ minutes skin side down, and 1½ minute skin side up. Cook the prawns until just pink

  • To serve, divide the sauce between two soup plates/shallow bowls. Place a slice of fish skin side up and add the prawn beside it. Drizzle the sauce around, but not over, the fish, and serve with the greens on the side