Sautéed Sea Bass in Tarragon Mushroom Broth

I first cam across this idea in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s book A Life in 12 Recipes. He makes a remarkably light mushroom broth with water, then balances with honey, vinegar, lemon and soy. I love the idea that something so simple could have that much flavor.

It reminded me of a trip to Strasbourg and Colmar in 2019. We arrived on a Sunday evening and walked from the Hotel du Dragon as the light began to fade, stopping for a few photographs along the Rhine before rounding the corner to the magical site of the Strasbourg Cathedral. Traveling always sends me home inspired to cook differently. Jean-George writes about discovering ingredients that way. One of my favorite things to do in a new place is wander through local markets and bring a little of it home with me – quite literally.

• 1 lb white mushrooms – brushed clean with a paper towel and thinly sliced (for flavoring the broth)
• 2 TBS butter, plus more as needed
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 TBS sherry vinegar
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 TBS Tamari

Mushroom Broth

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, brown white mushrooms in butter until cooked down and golden.

Add honey, water, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce and simmer 20 minutes. Add tarragon and simmer 5 minutes.

Strain through a chinois, pressing the mushrooms to extract all the liquid (Discard the mushrooms, as all the flavor has been cooked out).

Return broth to the saucepan and reduce slightly.

Just before serving, add the tomatoes, potatoes, portobello mushrooms, and edamame to the broth and warm through.

Serve with sea bass and garnish with chopped tarragon and mint.

For Serving

• 1 cup grape tomatoes – blanched, peeled and sliced
• 10 fingerling potatoes – boiled, drained and cut in half
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 8 oz portobello mushrooms, cooked – Mushrooms are very porous and mostly water. To prevent them from soaking up more water, use a dry cloth or paper towel to brush off any dirt.
• 2-4 sea bass fillets, sautéed until crisp and finished in a 350 degree oven.
• tarragon – chopped – 5 whole stems for broth an a few chopped for garnish.
• mint – chopped for garnish

Sautéed Sea Bass

Season the sea bass fillets on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a little oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook the fish, flesh side down until golden. Turn and finish in a 350 degree oven.

As a general rule, allow 5-7 minutes of total cooking timer per 1 inch of fish thickness. The skin is easily removed after cooking, if desired. I like to remove the skin a minute before the fish is finished, then return the fish to the pan to finish cooking

Kabie Plates

Put the mushroom broth in a small pitcher with a spout. Arrange the vegetables in a shallow bowl and place the sea bass on the top in the center. At the table, gently pour the warm tarragon-mushroom broth around the fish, the the top exposed. Finish with chopped tarragon and mint.