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Prep Time20 minutes
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Cook Time25 minutes
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Serving2
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The pictures do not tell the story of how good this was. I was in the mood for something simple to cook and simple to eat, but delicious. Baked fish, for example. Somewhere while I was wandering around in the middle of Dorignac’s this turned into baked Sea Bass (because that’s what looked good in the seafood section) on top of a bed of spinach punctuated with the sweet-tart burst of cherry tomatoes. What else? I picked up some of that fresh filled pasta in the cooler section next to the cheeses. And then the idea of a lemon Bechamel popped into my head. I figured it was a Monday night and if this recipe was a total disaster, it would be a learning experience. But this dish exceeded my expectations and I LOVED my Monday night dinner. The custardy sauce puffed up almost like a souffle — it was light but velvety rich. Perfect. This is definitely a do-over!
Ingredients
Sea Bass with Lemon Bechamel
Directions
The only trick to this lemon Bechamel might be to prevent its curdling. If you incorporate the lemon juice into the sauce while the sauce is hot, I recommend "tempering" it by adding a little Bechamel to the lemon juice first, and then adding the juice back to the sauce
Make the Bechamel: Melt the better, add the flour and stir until you have a blond roux. Then gradually add the warm milk and whisk until thick. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Let the sauce come to room temperature and then add the lemon juice. Add a few drops first to make sure your sauce is not going to separate or curdle. Then add the rest of the lemon juice. Season with salt.
Prepare the sea bass filets. Dry them very well and season them with salt and pepper.
Assemble the casserole. Put the spinach leaves on the bottom. If you are using the filled pasta, make a layer of that over the spinach. Then place the sea bass on top of the spinach and pasta. Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes (which you have sliced in half and salted) all around the fish. Toss on some chopped scallions.
Pour the Bechamel over the fish and the entire casserole. Spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Then, broil on high for 3 minutes.
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