”This is a dish that used to be on the menu at The Seafood Restaurant, where the group chef is Stephane Delourme. It’s his take on a pleasingly old-fashioned recipe from Normandy: seafood in a cream, fish stock and white wine sauce.” – Rick Stein
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Ingredients
- 400ml fresh fish or shellfish stock
- Fresh thyme sprig
- 1 bay leaf
- 240g sustainable sea bass fillet, skinned
- 4 sustainable British king scallops, each sliced in half to form 2 discs
- 15g butter, plus extra for frying
- ½ banana shallot, finely chopped
- 16 British mussels, scrubbed, beards removed, (discard any that don’t close when tapped sharply on the work surface)
- 2 tbsp dry white wine
- 20g plain flour
- 40ml double cream
- 1 lemon, halved for squeezing
- 40g button mushrooms, stalks removed and thickly sliced
- Knob of clarified butter or ghee (see tip)
- 40g panko breadcrumbs
- 16 sustainable raw king prawns, peeled
You’ll also need…
- 8 scallop shells (available from your fishmonger) or 8 shallow ramekins →
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Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Put the fish stock in a deep, heavy-based frying or sauté pan. Warm gently with the thyme and bay, add a pinch of salt, then lower the sea bass fillet into the stock. Poach for 1-2 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, then repeat with the scallops. Strain the stock and keep warm to make the sauce.
- Heat a knob of butter in a medium saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Once the butter is foaming, add the shallot and fry for 30 seconds. Add the mussels, stir quickly, then pour in 1 tablespoon of the wine and cover with the lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until the mussels have just opened. Strain in a colander/sieve, making sure you catch and reserve the liquid. Remove the mussels from their shells (discard any that haven’t opened; discard the shells).
- To make the sauce, melt the 15g butter in a medium pan over a medium heat, then stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the remaining tablespoon of wine then, whisking continuously, slowly add the warm fish stock and mussel liquid (be careful not to add any grit) to form a smooth sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally, then stir in the cream and season to taste with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt.
- Heat an extra knob of butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms. Add 2 tsp water and juice of half a lemon and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Pour any excess liquid into the sauce. Set the mushrooms aside on a plate. Wipe out the pan and heat the clarified butter (see tip), add the panko breadcrumbs and fry for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden.
- To assemble the gratins, put a little sauce in a scallop shell/ramekin and top with half a scallop, some flakes of sea bass, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and 3-4 mushroom slices. Finish with a covering of sauce and a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs. Bake for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- 336kcals Calories
- 19.1g (9g saturated) Fat
- 28.4g Protein
- 11.2g (0.8g sugars) Carbs
- 0.4g Fibre
- 1.7g Salt
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