Sea bream with fennel, a winning combo
Fennel is a vegetable that can be served with many things, but its combination with fish is a treat. At The Commerce Inn in New York City, I was served a generous portion of sea bass with fennel. I have prepared fish with fennel many times, but The Commerce Inn did it just a little different. Find out how to prepare a restaurant-worthy dish in no time.
Fennel: a stem vegetable
With its beautiful white bulb, fennel looks at first glance like a root vegetable. However, fennel is a stem vegetable like celery, asparagus, rhubarb and leeks. The bulb consists of several layers or leaf sheaths that extend from the root and grow above ground. This is precisely the typical characteristic of the stem vegetable. In a tuberous vegetable, the bulbous or elongated thickening of the root grows out below ground.
What does fennel taste like
Aniseed! That's the first thing you think of when you taste fennel. The characteristic taste is especially strong in raw fennel. Anise is popular around the Mediterranean area. Think of pastis and ouzo! In Italy and France, you will find fennel in numerous dishes and prepared in all sorts of ways.
Buy fennel
If you want to prepare a tasty dish with fennel, buy a firm, white, intact bulb. The outer leaf should not be wrinkled or have brown spots. This indicates an old product. The shape, oblong or bulbous, does not affect the taste. I usually buy small, flat ones for a salad and thick bulbs for a warm dish.
Preparing fennel
Fennel, with its characteristic anise flavor, can be prepared in many ways. Slice young bulbs very thinly with the mandolin, leave in cold water to become crispy and serve as a salad with lemon, olive oil and fresh herbs. Grill thicker slices on the barbecue or cook them in a steamer basket. Furthermore, you can also prepare fennel in a wok or bake it in the oven. Fennel soup is also a very delicate dish.
Fennel is easy to combine with other foods. The taste goes well with meat and fish. In itself, fennel makes an ideal vegetarian dish. Always remove the hard core at the bottom of the vegetable first.
Recipe: Oven baked sea bream with fennel
My recipe of sea bream with fennel baked in the oven was inspired by my experience at The Commerce Inn. With this recipe you will have enough for 2 people.
Ingredients for 2
- 4 small or 2 large sea bream fillets with skin, no more than 400 g
- 1 fennel
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 20 ml pastis
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig oregano
- 1 small sprig of rosemary
- 1 untreated lemon
- Pepper and salt
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Step 1: mise-en-place
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
First cut the fennel in half, then remove its hard core and then cut the fennel into coarse pieces of up to 2 cm. Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic. Also wash the fresh herbs and the lemon. Now cut the lemon into thin slices.
Make shallow, diagonal incisions in the skin of the fish. Check the fish fillets for bones. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
![SG zeebrasem met venkel 0399]()
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Step 2: Prepare the fennel
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until glazy but not browned. Deglaze with pastis. Now add the fennel and fresh herbs. Sauté the fennel over medium heat until the vegetables are almost tender. Stir occasionally so that the fennel does not burn. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Step 3: prepare the sea bream
Now take an ovenproof dish and rub the bottom with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place half of the lemon slices in a row in the dish. Arrange 1 large or 2 small fish fillets on the lemon with the skin facing down. Spread a layer of braised fennel on top of the fish. Cover the fennel with the remaining fish fillet, but now with the skin up. On top of this spread the rest of the fennel. Finish the stuffed fish with the remaining lemon slices.
You're almost done! Put the dish in the oven and let the fish roast with the fennel for 15 to 20 minutes. Want to eat the dish in the Shaker style of The Commerce Inn? Then serve a side of creamy mashed potatoes with it.
Do you love fish and want to try something totally different? Then make one of my favorite summer salads: maatjes herring with green beans and new potatoes.