Nage Courte of Striped Bass

In this recipe, julienned vegetables and lemon and a combination of water, wine, and olive oil are the base layer striped bass fillets are laid on to steam. The steamed fish fillets are served with some of the vegetables, and the resulting liquid, the courte, is spooned over the top. Courte is sometimes called a short broth because of its short cooking time and the fact that it is somewhere between a liquid and a sauce.

Serves 1 | Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Preparing the fish

Place the fish in a large plastic bag and, using a spoon, remove the scales. Using a sharp knife, cut under the gills and along the backbone to remove the fillets from each side of the fish.

Step 1: Preparing the fish

2 whole striped bass, heads removed, about 1 ½ to 2 pounds or 4 fillets, about 6 ounces each

Step 2: Preparing the vegetables and cooking the fish

1 leek, cut into julienne
1 large carrot, cut into julienne
4 strips lemon zest, cut into julienne
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
¾ cup water
¾ cup dry white wine
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a large shallow pan, combine the julienned leek, carrot and lemon zest, and the garlic and red onion. Add the water, wine, olive oil and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 2 minutes.

Place the fish fillets on top of the vegetables in a single layer and top with the butter. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook gently until the fish is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: Serving

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove the cooked fillets to a tray. Spoon the vegetables onto 4 serving plates or shallow bowls and set a fillet on top of each. Bring the liquid to a boil to emulsify the sauce, add the pepper and spoon the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

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