I created this dish in 2002 when I first learned to make ponzu sauce. The texture of the fish coupled with the salty/sweet ponzu sauce, sweetened with agave and finished with butter, has made this reimagined dish a G. Garvin classic.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 orange, quartered
- 1/2 stick lemongrass, smashed with back of knife
- Four 6-ounce skinless sea bass fillets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 large head frisee, broken into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch red chile flakes
- 1/4 cup edible flowers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- For the ponzu sauce: Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, stock, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, orange and lemongrass in a large saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce by a third. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve into another saucepan. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- For the fish: Sprinkle the sea bass with salt and pepper on both sides. Place a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat until the oil is hot, then add the sea bass and sear on the first side for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat a 10-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat the pan. Once the sea bass is ready to be flipped, transfer the fish to the cast-iron pan. Allow to start searing, then transfer the pan immediately to the oven to cook through, 7 to 8 minutes.
- For the ponzu butter: Add 1 cup ponzu to the same nonstick pan the fish was first seared in and place over high heat. Reduce the sauce by half, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and agave, then whisk to combine and allow the butter to melt and emulsify.
- Put the frisee in a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon some of the sauce onto a platter and top with the sea bass fillets. Top each piece of sea bass with the dressed frisee, red chile flakes and edible flowers.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 473 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg |
| Sodium | 3638 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 473 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg |
| Sodium | 3638 mg |
Reviews
Yum! Confused about how to incorporate the quartered orange, so left that out. Otherwise delicious and will make it again.
Outstanding! Husband made this for me on Mother’s Day, and it didn’t disappoint.
This was the best fish dish I have ever made in my life. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out delicious. The sauce was like a sweet delicious syrup that coated the delicate fish. It was simply outstanding!
I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could! I made this last night for my husband and me and it was so delicious. I only made half the sauce because they were only two of us but it was incredible! Thanks so much for sharing.
Didn’t have lemongrass, used sugar instead of agave. It was still great!