Roast Bass with Garlic Cream
You can roast the garlic up to 3 days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you like, you can roast extra garlic to use for another purpose, such as a savory addition to mashed potatoes, a quick spread for toasted baguette slices or extra flavor for a soup.
Ingredients
- 1 garlic head, unpeeled
- 3 tsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 striped bass, snapper or salmon fillets at least 1 inch thick, about 2 lb. total
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions
Roast the garlic
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Slice off the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Place the garlic, cut side up, on a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tsp. of the oil and wrap tightly. Set the packet upright in the oven and cook until the cloves are soft, about 40 minutes.
Roast the fish
Lightly oil a baking dish just large enough to hold the fish fillets. Scatter the onion slices evenly in the bottom. After the garlic has roasted for about 20 minutes, place the dish with the onions in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place on top of the onion. Drizzle the fish with the remaining 2 tsp. oil and return the dish to the oven. Roast just until the fish is opaque, 7 to 10 minutes, depending upon the thickness.
Make the garlic cream
When the garlic is tender, squeeze the pulp into a coarse-mesh sieve. Using a spoon or pestle, force the garlic through the sieve into a small saucepan, using the cream to help wash the garlic puree through the sieve. Bring the garlic cream to a simmer over low heat and reduce slightly and thicken, stirring. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Arrange the fish fillets on individual plates with the onion slices. Drizzle with the garlic cream and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Seafood, by Jay Harlow (Oxmoor House, 2007).