Black Sea Bass...
NOT an ingredient I usually have hanging around the house! But I was lucky enough to bring a piece home from the test kitchen the other day, and wanted to treat this gorgeous fish the way it deserved to be treated. So simple seemed the way to go...
In a sauté pan, I tossed some onions with EVOO... sizzled for a few minutes...
Added 1T rinsed (salt-packed) capers (if you use brined capers, drain and rinse them before adding)...
Along with some halved cherry tomatoes from the garden...
While the tomatoes were cooking, I started quickly sautéing the fish with just salt, pepper and EVOO. (Resist the temptation to overcook... just 2-3 minutes per side is enough unless it's unnaturally thick.)
Back to the sauce: as soon as the tomatoes started to collapse, I added a heaping tablespoon of pesto and turned off the heat.
On a very hot plate, I placed a scoop of rice... the gorgeous fish... and napped it with the tomato-caper-pesto sauce and a sprinkling of parsley... et voilà!
A flavorful sauce that did not mask the wonderful taste of the fish. A dish so rich that the small piece of bass I brought home was plenty for the two of us!