Ingredients

• 4 medium floury potatoes
• such as King Edward
• peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
• large knob of butter
• 2-3 tbsp double cream
• 1 lemon
• grated zest and juice only
• to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small Savoy cabbage
• thinly sliced
• knob of butter
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 3 tbsp white wine
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 10 mussels
• cleaned
• beards removed (discard any mussels that do not close tightly when tapped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots
• finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 3 tbsp white wine
• 2-3 tbsp double cream
• pinch saffron threads
• 2 fillets sea bass
• each weighing about 150g/5oz
• skin diagonally scored in three places with a sharp knife
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (optional
• this is to finish cooking the sea bass
• however you could cook it on the stove).
• For the mash
• boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water for 20 minutes or until tender
• then drain thoroughly. Mash the potatoes with the butter
• cream
• lemon zest and juice and some salt and freshly ground black pepper until smooth. Keep warm.
• For the cabbage
• fry the cabbage in a large pan with the butter and garlic for five minutes
• or until just softening. Add the white wine and caraway seeds and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 4-5 minutes over a low heat
• or until just tender. Keep warm.
• For the saffron mussel sauce
• place the mussels into a saucepan with a tightly fitting lid and steam over a high heat for 3-4 minutes
• shaking the pan gently once or twice
• until all the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that have remained closed. When cool enough to handle
• pick the mussels out of their shells and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a small pan over a medium heat
• add the shallots and garlic and fry gently for five minutes until softened and translucent. Pour in the white wine
• increase the heat to high and boil for one minute until reduced in volume by half. Reduce the heat
• stir in two tablespoons of the double cream and all of the saffron and simmer gently
• stirring occasionally
• for five minutes.
• When ready to serve
• stir the mussel meat into the sauce and heat through thoroughly. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If the sauce is too thick
• add a splash more cream.
• For the sea bass
• rub the sea bass with the olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and place the fish
• skin-side-down in the pan. Cook for three minutes
• or until the skin is crisp. Turn the fish over and transfer to the oven to finish cooking for 3-4 minutes. (Alternatively finish cooking the fish in the pan.)
• To serve
• spoon the lemon mash into the middle of warm serving plates
• top with the cabbage and a fish fillet and finish by spooning over the saffron sauce and dotting the mussels around the edge of the plate.