Tortilla-Crusted Sea Bass with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

Well here it is, my first “foodie” dish…..Tortilla-Crusted Sea Bass with Roasted Red Pepper Puree.  I have tried to break it down into very easy steps, there are just a lot of steps!  If I can do it, so can you.  Come on, don’t be scared…..

This meal is so good, it is worth each and every step that it takes to get this to the dinner table. I promise.  Sea Bass is known as the Filet Mignon of seafood, and yes it is expensive.  Here in Iowa it is $23.99 per pound, but you will not regret it, it is that good.  It is rich and buttery, with a delicate non-fishy flavor.  And before you say that you don’t like bell peppers, neither do I, but they make this dish work.

I have tried to write out the recipe in a way that flows and keeps things moving.  I did not think the entire meal through, and that is why it took me 6 hours to complete the cake, the garlic, the peppers, the fish, and finally the potatoes.  Don’t worry, the cake took almost 2 of those hours!  If you choose a different side dish that does not require an oven, it will take you even less.  Wouldn’t it be nice is all houses came with double ovens?

To roast the garlic: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Remove some of the papery skin from the garlic head, but do not peel or separate the cloves. Slice the top off of the garlic head to expose the cloves within. Place garlic head on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper…..

Wrap with foil, leaving some room for airflow, and roast for 15 – 20 minutes, or until soft. Set aside to cool.

To roast the red peppers: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Lay the peppers skin side up on the baking sheet and roast for 15 – 30 minutes or until skins have blackened…..

Remove from the oven and rinse under cold water to remove the skins. Set aside.

Place corn tortillas on a clean baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes until very crisp. Set aside to cool…..

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and minced garlic, and cook until garlic begins to turn golden brown. Add the roasted peppers, cilantro and chili powder {awful images alert}

Saute for 1 minute and add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil…..

Add the lemon juice and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until all of the ingredients are soft, about 5 – 8 minutes. Set aside, and allow to cool slightly.

Place in the container of a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Now we start putting it all together! Place tortillas in a large zipper top bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out into a small bowl. Mash with the backside of a large spoon until it forms a paste. Rub the garlic paste over the fish and roll in the crushed tortillas.

Pour 2 Tablespoon of oil into a baking dish. Place fish in the baking dish and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until just cooked through…..

Serve each fillet with 1/4 cup of roasted pepper puree. Garnish with cilantro…..

The original recipe for this Tortilla-Crusted Sea Bass with Roasted Red Pepper Puree came from the Canyon Ranch Cooks cookbook that I have had for several years.  This is my absolute favorite recipe in the book!   I have changed a few things and obviously added step-by step photographs to guide through the process.

Since I have not had a chance to do a post about how to roast garlic, I have included the instructions within this recipe. If you roast the garlic ahead of time, this meal will come together even faster!

I served the sea bass with Southwest Roasted Potatoes…..

and finished the meal with a Peppermint Cream Cheese Filled Cocktail Cake…..

I promise, this recipe is worth the effort!

Enjoy!!

Tortilla Crusted Sea Bass with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

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Serves	4
Prep time	1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook time	12 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 27 minutes
Meal type	Main Course

Rich and flavorful sea bass with southwestern flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 Bulb / head fresh garlic (roasted (instructions given))
• 2 Medium red bell peppers (seeded, and quartered)
• 1/2 cup yellow onion (diced)
• 3 Cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2/3 cups organic chicken broth
• 2 Teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 Teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 yellow corn tortillas
• 4) 4 ounce sea bass fillets (uniform size and shape)
• 7 Tablespoons olive oil (separated)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Remove some of the papery skin from the garlic head, but do not peel or separate the cloves. Slice the top off of the garlic head to expose the cloves within.

Place garlic head on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Wrap with foil, leaving some room for airflow,, and roast for 15 - 20 minutes, or until soft. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.

Lay the peppers skin side up on the baking sheet and roast for 15 - 30 minutes or until skins have blackened.

Remove from the oven and rinse under cold water to remove the skins. Set aside.

Place corn tortillas on a clean baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes until very crisp. Set aside to cool, but leave oven on.

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized saute pan over medium-low heat.

Add the onions and minced garlic, and cook until garlic begins to turn golden brown.

Add the roasted peppers, cilantro and chili powder.

Saute for 1 minute and add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

Add the lemon juice and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until all of the ingredients are soft, about 5 - 8 minutes. Set aside, and allow to cool slightly.

Place in the container of a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place tortillas in a large zipper top bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out into a small bowl. Mash with the backside of a large spoon until it forms a paste.

Rub the garlic paste over the fish and roll in the crushed tortillas.

Pour 2 Tablespoon of oil into a baking dish. Place fish in the baking dish and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Serve each fillet with 1/4 cup of roasted pepper puree. Garnish with cilantro.

Note

I did not want my camera to smell like garlic for the rest of it's life, so there are no photos of the garlic paste / tortilla crusting portion of the directions.  It is a bit messy.

This recipe will be partying at these link parties!