Crispy Sea Bass with Noodles

• Recipe by Shawn McClain

Chef Way To create the soba noodle cakes that accompany his sautéed bass, McClain presses cooked and chilled seasoned soba noodles for hours to compact them. Then he cuts the soba noodle cake into rounds, fries them and sets them in a light ginger-soy consommé.

Easy Way We stir-fry cooked soba noodles with bok choy, season them with ginger, soy and sesame oil, then serve the noodles alongside the nicely browned fish.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound soba noodles
2. 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3. 1/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
4. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
5. 1 teaspoon sugar
6. 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
7. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8. 1/2 pound young bok choy, sliced 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal
9. 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
10. 1 large garlic clove, minced
11. 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
12. Four 6-ounce sea bass fillets, with skin
13. Salt
14. 1/4 cup rice flour

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the soba and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes; drain. Rinse the soba under cold water and drain, shaking off any excess water.
2. In a small skillet, toast the sesame seeds over moderate heat, stirring, until they begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the bok choy, ginger, garlic and scallions and stir-fry over high heat until the bok choy is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the soba noodles and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes. Add the soy mixture and bring to a boil, tossing. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Season the fish with salt and dust with the rice flour. Add the fish to the skillet, skin side down, and cook over high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip the fillets and cook until just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes longer.
5. Transfer the soba and bok choy to shallow bowls and top with the fish, skin side up. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Notes

One Serving 539 Calories, 17 gm Total Fat, 2.6 gm Saturated Fat, 54 gm Carbohydrates, 5 gm Fiber.