INGREDIENTS (Servings: 2)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 Chopped onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2/3 cup mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, and chives, oregano
- 1 lb. of fresh spinach (remove stem), steamed, squeezed/dry, and chopped
- 4 oz. asiago cheese
- More olive oil
- 2 whole sea bass with skin
- Prepare 1/2 pound bacon (chopping and crisp in pan…leave in skillet with the bacon grease)
- 1/3 cup dry cognac
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F / 190 degrees C
2. Sauté chopped onions 2 minutes before adding minced garlic. Add a pinch of salt.
3. Sauté until onions translucent. (drain and towel dry)
4. Add 1/2 of Chop herbs, stir in. (leave rest for sauce)
5. Spinach (prepared: steamed, dried and chopped) stir in.
6. At the last minute before stuffing fish add grated asiago cheese and stir.
7. Gut, scale and rinse the fish thoroughly.
8. Pat dry with paper towels.
9. Cut two large pieces of foil, big enough for the foil to over lap the sides of backing pan on the bottom to meet the top of the foil when placed above the whole fish for a good seal.
10. Rub with olive oil on both sides and a little inside. Make sure that it is enough to avoid the fish sticking to the foil.
11. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides, and inside the cavity.
12. Stuff onion/garlic/spinach herb/grated cheese mixture into each fish, amount is as desired. Fold and crimp the foil to make a pocket.
13. Lay on baking sheet, cover with foil and seal air tight and place in center of oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of fish. The skin will feel soft but the meat will be firm.
14. If you would like to make the skin crispier, unwrap the fish after it has cooked through and set under broiler or turn up the heat and allow to crisp up. But be warned that this might make the fish stick to the foil a bit.
15. Transfer fish to 2 plates.
16. Put juices from backing pan into a skillet of chopped crispy bacon and the bacon grease, heat up with chopped herbs, add fish juices, add cognac to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits and bacon with a wooden spoon. Stir in heavy cream, remaining herbs, 1/2 and salt and pepper to taste. When little bubble start to form (do not boil) take off heat.
17. Spoon sauce over fish.