Sea Bream & Prawn Recipe

Combine basil leaves, pine nuts, grated Parmesan, garlic clove, lemon juice and salt in a small food processor or blender. Pulse until coarsely combined, then stream in the 50 ml olive oil while pulsing to make a loose, bright-green pesto. Season to taste with black pepper and extra salt if needed. Set aside at room temperature. If making ahead, refrigerate in a sealed jar with a thin film of oil on top; bring to room temperature before serving.

Prepare ingredients

Bring the vegetable or fish stock to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and keep warm. Chop the sun-blushed tomatoes and slice the courgette into 5 mm half-moons. Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic.

Sweat aromatics

In a wide, heavy-based sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 15 g butter over medium heat. Add the diced shallot and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 3–4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Toast rice & deglaze

Add the Arborio rice to the pan and stir to coat the grains in fat. Cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until the edges become translucent and the grains smell slightly nutty. Pour in the 75 ml white wine and stir until mostly absorbed.

Cook risotto

Begin adding the hot stock ladleful by ladleful (about 100 ml each time), stirring frequently. Allow each addition to be mostly absorbed before adding the next. After about 12 minutes of adding stock, taste the rice — it should be nearly al dente with a slight bite. At this stage, stir in the chopped sun-blushed tomatoes and the courgette slices. Continue adding stock as needed and cook for another 2–3 minutes until the rice is creamy and the courgette is tender but not mushy (total 16–18 minutes).

Finish risotto

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 40 g grated Parmesan and 10 g butter to enrich the risotto. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, adjusting to taste. If the risotto is too thick, loosen with a splash of warm stock or water to achieve a creamy consistency. Cover and keep warm while cooking the fish and prawns.

Prepare fish & prawns

Pat the sea bream fillets dry with paper towels. Score the skin lightly with a sharp knife in 2 or 3 shallow diagonal cuts (to prevent curling). Season both sides of the fillets with 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Toss the prawns with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Pan-fry sea bream

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick or stainless-steel frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the fillets skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for 10–15 seconds to ensure even contact. Cook skin-side down for 3–4 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the flesh is opaque about two-thirds of the way up. Flip the fillets and add 10 g butter to the pan; baste the tops with the foaming butter for 30–60 seconds until just cooked through (internal temperature ~54–58°C for moist fish). Transfer to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil.

Pan-fry prawns

In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining 10 g butter. Add the prawns in a single layer and cook over medium-high heat for about 1.5–2 minutes per side until pink and opaque with a light golden sear. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the prawns while finishing. Remove prawns to the warm plate with the fish.

Rest

Allow the fish to rest for 1–2 minutes while you finish plating. Spoon any pan juices over the prawns and fish.

Divide the risotto between 2 warmed plates (approximately a heaped portion each). Place one sea bream fillet on top of each risotto portion and arrange 4 prawns beside/on top of each fillet. Spoon 1 tablespoon of basil pesto per plate in a small smear or dot pattern around the risotto. Drizzle a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil over the fish, scatter micro basil leaves as garnish and finish with a small lemon wedge on each plate. Serve immediately.