Sea Bass, in a Fennel-Seed Crust, with Pistachios and Basil

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 20 ml Greek extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 250 ml (1 cup) fish stock, or 200 ml (6 oz.) dry white wine
• 200 ml (6 1/2 oz.) whole milk
• 200 gr. (6 1/2 oz.) Aegina pistachios (shelled and unsalted)
• 5 basil leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Few drops of lemon juice if needed
• 3 sea bass, 800 gr. (1 lb., 10 oz.) each, filleted and skinned
• 200 gr. (6 1/2 oz.) fennel seed

Instructions

For the sauce sauté the garlic in 10 ml (1/3 oz.) olive oil for 30 secs.
And add the stock or wine. Boil for 5 minutes (10 minutes if you use wine instead of stock) and add the milk.

Just before the milk comes to a boil, add the pistachios.
Simmer for 20 minutes, remove from heat and process in a high-speed blender, together with the basil leaves, for 2 minutes.

Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and season with salt
and pepper.

Brush the fish with olive oil, season with salt and pepper,
and press on both sides into the fennel seed.

Grill the fish over a high heat for 3 minutes on each side
(2 minutes if the fish is being pan-seared in a non-stick skillet).

Pour a bed of sauce onto each plate and serve the fish on top.

For 6 servings