Sea bass with caramelized tomatoes
5 servings
80 minutes
The trick of the appetizer from Alexey Kanevsky, the chef of the Smoke BBQ restaurant, is that the tomatoes are cut into fairly thick circles and quickly fried in a mixture of salt and sugar, which gives them a caramel sweetness . Something magical happens to the fish too: just hold it in salt for a bit, which draws out the moisture, and the fragile sea bass fillet becomes denser, concentrates the flavor and holds its shape perfectly. You can even eat this canapé with your hands, without fear that at the most crucial moment it will fall apart and splash tomato juice on your shirt.
1
Blend honey, mustard, lemon juice with salt and pepper into a thick homogeneous mass.
- Honey: 30 g
- Mustard: 30 g
- Lemon: 0.5 piece
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Salt: 1 kg
2
Cover the fish (cleaned and gutted) with a whole bag of salt to draw out moisture and leave for 30-40 minutes.
- Sea bass: 700 g
- Salt: 1 kg
3
Rinse the fish under running water, dry it with paper towels, and place it on the grill after adding two raw logs — this will produce a lot of smoke, which is needed for the fish to not just fry but also get smoked. Cook the fish on the grill until done; a medium-sized fish (350 g) will take about 30 minutes.
- Sea bass: 700 g
4
When the fish is ready, cut the tomatoes into thick pieces and coat them in sugar mixed with a little salt.
- Tomatoes: 3 pieces
- Sugar: 100 g
- Salt: 1 kg
5
Place the tomatoes on a skillet or grill and caramelize on high heat for about 30 seconds on each side.
- Tomatoes: 3 pieces
6
Cut the fish fillet into segments of 2-3 cm.
- Sea bass: 700 g
7
Place the tomatoes on a plate, top with sea bass segments, and dress with honey-mustard sauce.
- Tomatoes: 3 pieces
- Sea bass: 700 g
- Honey: 30 g
- Mustard: 30 g