These flavorful tomato-poached European sea bass filets are served with farro and require less than 10 ingredients to make! This recipe is probably part of the top 10 in my recipes repertoire that are elevated yet easy to make. This high-end restaurant quality meal will impress your guests!
Poaching fish gives a tender and flaky texture and this cooking method is seriously underated! It is also as quick to poach a fish filet than to bake it in the oven. I love to poach my fish because all the flavors get infused into the the rest of the ingredients where everything just blends well together.
Ingredients you need to make this recipe:
SEA BASS:
In this recipe, I am using sea bass filets, which are wild caught in the Southern Atlantic coast of Europe and Northern coast of Africa. This fish also has many known names: Loup de mer in French and Branzino in Italian. In the U.S., you can also see it labeled as bar, Mediterranean or European sea bass at the grocery stores. Sea bass is a white fish with delicate mild flavors and has a very low fat content. Using this type of fish for poaching is perfect because the fish does not dry up. Any type of fish within the sea bass family works great for this recipe because of its hability to absorb flavors.
- Chilean sea bass: If you find Chilean sea bass at your grocery store, it is actually a fish that is not part of the bass family, but rather a patagonian toothfish found in the South American waters. It is meatier, fattier and can absorb less flavors when poached.
FARRO:
Farro is an ancient grain, like quinoa, and has been a staple in Mediterranean cuisine. Once farro is cooked, it has a chewy and nutty texture. I love intergrating farro in my dishes because it is packed with nutrition. However, since it is a type of wheat, it is not gluten-free. If you are looking for a gluten-free alternative, you can replace farro with whole grain buckwheat. There are different types of farro, but the one you will find in the U.S. are the pearled ones, which is the one I am using. Pearled farro cooks the quickest, which takes about 30 minutes.
VEGETABLE STOCK OR WHITE WINE:
White wine brings out so much flavors when cooking with fish, but you can also use vegetable stock instead.
TOMATOES:
I am using grape tomatoes medley because I love to see all the different colors in my meal. You can use cherry tomatoes or any small tomatoes. Any small tomatoes work great in this recipe because they are sweeter.
SHALLOT:
I prefer to use shallots when cooking with seafood, especially with delicate and mild white fish, because it has a milder taste than onion. If you only have an onion, you can dice 3 Tablespoons and use it instead of shallot.
TIPS FOR MAKING TOMATO-POACHED SEA BASS FILETS WITH FARRO
Parcooking farro:
What I like about using farro in my dishes is that it is pretty easy to cook and the cooking method is the same as cooking pasta. Moreover, it’s impossible to overcook it…unless you leave it in the hot pan with boiling water for hours! In this recipe, farro will be parcooked and the remaining cooking will be done in the skillet with the tomatoes and wine so it can absorb all the flavors.
Bring a pot with salted boiling water to a boil and add your farro. Cook for 20 minutes and drain. Add the drained parcooked farro into the skillet/French oven and mix it with the tomato mixture.
Poaching sea bass filets:
Once you added the parcooked farro, decrease heat to a simmer. Add sea bass filets skin side down and your white wine/vegetable stock. Cover with a lid. The sea bass will be cooked when they become opaque in color and their flesh is flaky but firm. If you have a cooking thermomether, their internal temperature should reach 145°F. Depending on the size of your filets, it will take about 15 minutes. You can also notice that when they are cooked, the filets become firm, opaque and white, but remain tender and flaky.
Equipment
- Small pot
- Skillet or French oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb sea bass filet cut into 2 or 3 filets
- 1 lb grape or cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ cup white wine or vegetable stock
- ½ cup farro rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley to garnish optional
Instructions
- In a small pot with salted water, add farro and bring it to a boil. Decrease heat to medium and parcook uncover for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet with lid or French oven on medium heat, add olive oil. Sweat minced shallots until they become soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and tomatoes. Decrease heat to medium low and cook until the tomatoes become soft or start to burst. About 10 to 15 minutes.
- Drain parcooked farro, add to the tomato mixture and mix. Decrease heat to a simmer. Add fish filets skin side down and white wine/vegetable stock and cover. Poach the sea bass filets until they become opaque in color and their flesh is flaky but firm. Or with a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 145°F. About 15 minutes depending on the size.
- On a plate, serve poached filets on top of the farro and tomato mix. Add chopped parsley (optional).
Nutrition
* Nutrition disclosures and disclaimer
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