At once light and intensely flavorful, poaching with aromatics is a wonderful treatment for black bass. Here, I use spring garlic and onions, but the recipe is easily adaptable to other times of the year. Make sure you use some member of the onion family for flavor; in winter, add shaved radish, fennel . . . use your imagination. This dish goes quickly if you have your fishmonger do the work for you; just ask for the trimmings to take home for making the fumet.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 baby leeks, sliced and rinsed well

　　2 spring onions, thinly sliced

　　1 stalk spring garlic, thinly sliced

　　2 cups Fish Fumet (recipe follows)

　　2 whole black bass (1 to 1 1/4 pounds), gutted, scaled, and filleted

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

　　8 fresh mint leaves, chopped

　　2 tablespoons minced chives

　　1/2 lemon

　　2 tablespoons best-quality olive oil

　　

Fish Fumet

Bones from 1 whole black bass

　　1 cup water

　　1 cup wine

　　3 stalks celery

　　1 clove garlic

　　1 small onion, halved horizontally

　　1 leek

　　

Step 1

Pour the olive oil into a wide, high-sided sauté pan and add the leeks, onions, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until soft but not colored. Add the Fish Fumet and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to keep at a bare simmer.

　　

Step 2

Season the fillets with salt and pepper and place in the poaching liquid, skin-side up. The liquid should come about halfway up the fish fillets. Using a spoon, baste the tops of the fillets with the Fumet as they cook. The fillets will begin to curl, but continue basting, keeping the broth evenly coating the skin of the fish. Cook in this manner, basting continuously, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the skin pulls away from the fillets easily. You can remove the skin if you like, though it looks pretty and tastes good.

　　

Step 3

Remove the fillets from the liquid and divide among 4 warmed bowls. Keep the Fumet and the aromatics simmering on the stove. Add the mint leaves and chives to the Fumet. Squeeze in the lemon juice, and add the best-quality olive oil, and swirl to blend. Check the seasonings. Spoon the Fish Fumet over the fillets, making sure each bowl has vegetables and herbs.

　　

Fish Fumet

Step 4

Place all of the ingredients in a stockpot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain.

　　Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen