- 1 sea bream steak, 5 1/2 ounces (160 g)
- 3/4 ounce butter (20 g)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig dry fennel
- 1 lemon
- fleur de sel
Lemon Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 sprig dried fennel
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 Espelette pepper
- 3 1/2 ounces shallots (100 g)
- 30 coriander seeds
- 30 black peppercorns
- 3 1/2 ounces butter (100 g)
- 1/2 cup seasoning olive oil (10 cl)
- 3 1/2 tablespoons dry white wine (5 cl)
- 1 cup pot-au-feu stock (20 cl)
- 1/2 cup calf’s foot jelly (10 cl)
- 7 wild littleneck clams
- 1 ounce small capers (30 g)
Candied Lemon Pulp
- 2 lemons
- 2 sugar cubes
Instructions
Step 1: Sea Bream
Filet a 9 1/4 lb (4.2 kg) sea bream, remove the center of the fillet and cut away a 2 ounces (160 g) steak. Clean the head and set aside for the lemon sauce.
Cook the fillet in frothy butter with 1 clove of garlic and a sprig of dry fennel. Once cooked, the fillet should be tender and slightly golden brown.
Step 2: Lemon Sauce
Make a stock with the fish head cut in two and browned in a pan in some frothy butter. In a sauté pan, cut the shallots in large round slices and sweat.
Sauté the sliced fennel bulb, unpeeled garlic, dry fennel, coriander seeds, pepper and 1 slice of the Espelette pepper.
Deglaze with the white wine, then moisten with the calf’s foot jelly and the stocks.
Let cook for 45 minutes. Infuse the bunch of basil for 15 minutes and sieve through a chinois. Reduce the sauce so that it becomes syrupy. Emulsify with butter and olive oil, and flavor with the candied lemon pulp (recipe below).
As a garnish, add 20 little capers and 7 shelled littleneck clams to the sauce.
Be careful not to bring the sauce to a boil lest the clams get tough.
This recipe was originally published in "Culinary Encyclopedia by Alain Ducasse" (Éditions Alain Ducasse). See all credits
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