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Raymond Blanc’s pan-fried sea bream with ratatouille and tomato coulis

Name: Raymond Blanc’s pan-fried sea bream with ratatouille and tomato coulis
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: For the ratatouille; 4 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, cut into 2cm dice; 4 thyme sprigs; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 large red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm dice; 2 large courgettes, halved lengthways and cut into 2cm dice; 1 medium aubergine, halved lengthways and cut into 2cm dice; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 4 plum tomatoes, chopped; For the tomato coulis; 200g very ripe cherry tomatoes; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 2 pinches sugar (if the tomatoes aren’t ripe enough); For the sea bream; 4 sea bream fillets; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; Juice ½ lemon, plus extra wedges to serve

By: Raymond Blanc

Published: 22 Aug 22
Updated: 25 Mar 24

Raymond Blanc’s pan-fried sea bream with ratatouille and tomato coulis

Raymond Blanc’s pan-fried fillet of sea bream with ratatouille and tomato coulis makes a light and elegant summer supper. Just add rosé.

For more information on cookery and gardening classes at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, click here.

Easy
August 2022

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min. Simmering time 20 min

Raymond Blanc’s pan-fried fillet of sea bream with ratatouille and tomato coulis makes a light and elegant summer supper. Just add rosé.

For more information on cookery and gardening classes at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, click here.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 450kcals
Fat: 25.1g (3.1g saturated)
Protein: 32.2g
Carbohydrates: 19g (17.4g sugars)
Fibre: 9.3g
Salt: 0.4g

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Ingredients

For the ratatouille

4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, cut into 2cm dice
4 thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm dice
2 large courgettes, halved lengthways and cut into 2cm dice
1 medium aubergine, halved lengthways and cut into 2cm dice
2 tbsp tomato purée
4 plum tomatoes, chopped

For the tomato coulis

200g very ripe cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 pinches sugar (if the tomatoes aren’t ripe enough)

For the sea bream

4 sea bream fillets
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
Juice ½ lemon, plus extra wedges to serve

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Method

For the ratatouille, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and soften the onions and thyme for 3-4 minutes without letting them colour. Add the garlic, red peppers, courgettes and aubergine, season generously with salt and pepper, then cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes, cover, then cook for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary, then set aside.
Meanwhile, make the coulis. In a blender or using a stick blender, purée the cherry tomatoes with the extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add the sugar, if needed, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.
Slash the skin of each sea bream fillet 3 times with a sharp knife and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a high heat. Sear the fillets on the flesh side for 30-40 seconds in the hot oil, then turn the fillets over and cook for 2-3 minutes (if they’re particularly thick fillets, they made need a few minutes more). Sprinkle with lemon juice.

To serve, reheat the ratatouille and warm the tomato coulis if you need to, making sure it doesn’t boil (otherwise it will become grainy and lose all its freshness). Arrange the ratatouille on a large platter or in the middle of 4 soup plates and top with the sea bream fillets. Spoon the tomato coulis around, then drizzle with a little more extra-virgin olive oil.