Baked Striped Sea Bass, Sunchoke Puree and Lentils
For a lighter, yet earthier dinner when the springtime is just starting, this is a wonderful and simple option. I adore the creaminess and lemony, almost sweet flavor of the sunchokes, which goes well with the flakiness of this wild caught fish (yes, I will always root for wild caught). Check it out below!
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
1 lb of wild caught striped bass filets, deboned
12 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup brown lentils
1 bay leaf
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Sunchoke puree:
18 sunchokes, or about 1 lb, peeled
7 sprigs of thyme
1 lemon, cut in half
1 sprig of rosemary,
1.5 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
3 pink peppercorns
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a medium saucepan, add the sunchokes, thyme, lemon, rosemary, salt, bay leaf and peppercorns. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a high simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until soft.
In a medium saucepan, combine the lentil, chicken broth, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until tender with a bite.
When the sunchokes are cooked through, drain the water from the pan and remove the aromatic ingredients. Place the sunchokes in a blender, food processor or nutribullet and add the chicken broth. Blend until smooth. Return to the pot and add the salt and olive oil, stirring constantly until well incorporated. Set aside.
On a baking sheet lined with foil, evenly space out the striped bass filets. Generously season with salt and freshly ground pepper, then each filet with 2-3 sprigs of thyme. Bake in the oven for 12-13 minutes.
Gently warm the sunchoke puree in the saucepan over low heat.
Once the filets are cooked, remove the sprigs of thyme and top each filet with fresh chives.
Spoon and spread the sunchoke puree onto each plate, then top with the wild sea bass and add the lentils on the side. Enjoy!