Ingredients

• 4 x 150g/5½oz sea bass fillets
• trimmed
• salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 75g/2¾oz butter
• 1 onion
• finely diced
• 1 clove garlic
• finely diced
• 1 star anise
• 250g/9oz mussels
• washed and debearded
• 125ml/4fl oz white wine
• 250ml/9fl oz fish stock
• 125ml/4fl oz double cream
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 courgettes
• sliced vertically with a potato peeler

Directions

• For the sea bass
• cut slashes into the skin side of the sea bass then season the other side with salt.
• Heat a frying pan until hot
• then add a little of the oil and some of the butter. Place the sea bass
• skin side down
• into the pan and cook for two minutes then turn over
• cook for another two minutes then remove from the fish the pan.
• For the mussel soup
• heat a saucepan until hot
• add some more of the butter and oil
• the onion
• garlic and star anise and cook gently for one minute.
• Add the mussels and white wine and cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mussels have opened then remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
• Add the fish stock to the pan and cook until reduced by one third then place the mixture in a food processor. Take care not to overfill the food processor
• hot liquid could spurt out the top.Try filling up to a third
• and test to see how far the liquid goes up the sides.
• Remove the mussels from their shells and add blend two thirds of them in the food processor with the reduced stock. Blend the mixture to a fine purée then return it to the pan and add the cream.
• Heat gently until it is warmed through and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the reserved mussels to the pan then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• For the courgettes
• heat a clean frying pan until hot
• add the remaining butter and oil and stir-fry the courgette ribbons carefully
• taking care not to break them up. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve
• pile the courgette ribbons into the centre of four soup plates. Top with the sea bass then spoon the soup around the edge.