Seabass Dinner for Two

My husband and I ate at Monarch restaurant in Maplewood a few nights ago, and it was so delectable! We ate some great seafood dishes, which inspired this dinner. This is a bit more than I would normally spend on dinner, but I think it's totally worth it for a special occassion or just because. It's still cheaper than eating out at a restaurant, and you get the satisfaction of doing it all yourself!

2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch spinach
1/4 cup chicken stock

3 Tbl. butter
2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
4 oz baby bella mushrooms, medium dice
8 oz mixed exotic forest mushrooms, trimmed

3 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
2 6 oz pieces of seabass

salt & pepper

Heat garlic and olive oil over low heat. We're flavoring the oil here, and it's going to take about 20 minutes. To clean your spinach, remove all the leaves from the stems. Fill your sink with cold water and add spinach. Toss it around in the water for a bit, and then let it sit for a few minutes. All the sand and dirst should fall to the bottom of the sink. Remove the spinach and put it into a collander to drain without kicking up all that dirt.

Heat butter and oil together and add the baby bella mushrooms. If any of your exotic mushrooms are large, you can add them now also. I had trumpets in my mix, so I sliced them and added them here. Saute over medium-high heat until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add your smaller mushrooms and saute for a few more minutes until your kitchen smells like woodsy deliciousness. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until everything else is ready.

In a medium skillet, heat butter and oil until HOT, but not smoking. This is very important! If you want a beautiful, restaurant-quality crust on the fish that you've just spent at least $20 on, your pan gots-to-be HOT! Season all sides with salt and pepper. Lay your fish in the pan, and DO NOT touch it for at least 2 minutes. After this time has passed, you can begin the fat laddling process. Take a large soup spoon, tilt your pan, and spoon the fat over the top of the fish continuously until you can see a color change in your fish. Periodically check the underside of your fish until you get that gorgeous caramelized crust you're looking for and then flip it. Keep basting and cooking for a few more minutes until the fish is done. I will admit, that it may be hard to tell when it's done. I personally think that seabass can be eaten at a medium temperature, but that's up to you. Pull the fish out of the pan, and let it rest for a few minutes while you cook the spinach.

When the garlic in the oil starts to brown around the edges, add the well-drained spinach. It's going to pop and splatter because of the water, so watch out. Saute until it all wilts down, add the stock, and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. It's going to take more salt than you think to tame down the bitterness of the spinach.

To complete your feast, quickly reheat the mushrooms. Lay your spinach down on your serving plate as the bed, layer the mushrooms over it, then crown it with your beautiful piece of seabass (prettiest side up, of course.) Enjoy!!