Ingredients
2 lbs. sea bass fillets, skinned
Maldon or other sea salt
2 tbsp. golden raisins
Good pinch Saffron strands
4 tbsp. Amontillado sherry
3 tbsp. pine nuts
1/2 cup water
Preparation
*Cut the fish into smaller pieces, however you want, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Put the raisins in a bowl, strew with the saffron, warm up the sherry and pour it over. Put a thick-bottomed frying pan on the heat and toss the pine nuts in it until they taken on a deep gold color. Pour onto a plate and put on one side.
*Pour the raisins and sherry into the emptied-out pan and add the water, then put it back on the heat and bring to a simmer, then add fish fillets–as many as will fit in one layer; add more water if they are not moer or less submerged. After one minute’s simmering, turn them over using 2 spatulas. They cook very quickly and if you leave them too long, they’ll flake as you turn them. Give them another minute or so on the second side and remove to a waiting plate. Continue til all the fish is cooked, remove as many raisins as you can; add to plate with fish.
*Turn up heat to high and let sherry-saffron mixture reduce til you have a just-liquid yellow syrup. Pour over fish, then scatter toasted pine nuts.
NOTES: Try with other fish fillets. Good with plain white basmati rice. Lentils are another good accompaniment.
