Sea bass with seafood

Several people have asked for the recipe of the dish that I used on top of my Facebook page. It is a picture I took for my entry in the “Tous en Cuisine” contest. I had to submit a recipe for a “plat salée” with a picture. At first I was at loss about what a salty dish was but in turned out the opposite of a sweet dish or dessert. So it had to be a main dish or starter.
I made papilottes of sea bass, with lime, cilantro and seafood. I was not selected, though, the finals are in late November.

Ingredients

• A medium-sized sea bass. The best are caught with small boats but they are also the most expensive. Farmed sea bass is cheapest.
• Six oysters
• A handful of palourdes, clams
• A bunch of cilantro
• Fresh ginger
• Four limes

Steps

1. Skin de bass and lift the fillets. Make at least four rectangular pieces.
2. Shuck the oysters and set aside.
3. Clean the palourdes.
4. Wash the cilantro and wrap in paper towel.
5. Peel the ginger and slice a dozen matchstick-size “batonnettes”.
6. Wash the limes and cut them in quarters.
7. Preheat the oven to 200° C.
8. Lay the fish fillets in aluminium foil and squeeze the juice of a quarter lime over it.
9. Wrap them “en papilotte” that is, fold the foil to the top and twist the packages closed.
10. Lay the parcels on the rack in the preheated oven, lower temperature to 150 °C and cook for 15 minutes. (Because of the heat and the contact with the rack, there will be brown stripes on the underside of the fish which looks interesting in the presentation).
11. Put the palourdes in a skillet with some water and cook until the shells open.
12. Let it cool down.
13. Cut the cilantro.
14. When the fish is ready, keep the oven on. Take out the parcels and lay the fish on an oven-proof dish, the striped side up.
15. Scatter lime, cilantro and ginger around it.
16. Then add the cooked clams and the raw oysters, add pepper.
17. Put the dish back in the over for a few minutes to allow the oysters to set.
18. It’s ready for serving.

On the picture you also see half a grilled head of fresh garlic, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper and some diced onion, but that is optional.