Roasted Fennel Risotto with Chilean Sea Bass

This is a delicious and sophisticated dish I came up with. I made this through the week but I think it is very appropriate for a special occasion or a nice Sunday dinner. I have been using fennel a lot these days- raw and roasted. I decided to roast it and cut it up and use it in a risotto- why not, I thought… I also roasted some other aromatic like garlic and shallot. All these ingredients gave the risotto and lovely sweet, nutty flavor.

I bought one of my husband’s favorite fish- Chilean sea bass and marinated it in a miso mixture and simply sautéed it. I also tossed baby arugula with olive oil and lemon juice.

The combination of the risotto and fish with the arugula was unusually delicious… try this dish when you want to impress your family…

• 2 fennel bulbs, cored and sliced, save the fronds for garnish (the greens)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 garlic bulb, top sliced off
• 2 large shallots, tops sliced off

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the slices to a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Toss with fingers. Add the garlic and shallots in some aluminum foil. Top with a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Fold the foil, making a package and sealing all the edges. Place the package with the fennel and roast for 30 minutes until the fennel is soft. Keep aside to cool off. Open the aluminum foil package and squeeze the garlic and shallot meat out of the skins. Keep aside. Chop the fennel slices into ½ inch pieces and keep aside.

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Roasted garlic and shallots
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 cups chicken broth, on a simmer next to the risotto
• Salt
• ¼ cup half and half
• 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Heat a wide frying pan and add the olive oil and the roasted garlic and shallots. Saute for a minute and add the Arborio rice and thyme. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes and start adding the chicken broth ¼ cup at a time while stirring consistently. Add the broth until the rice is soft but not over done- about 20 minutes. Add chopped fennel and mix well. Add salt, half and half and cheese. Mix well and taste for seasonings. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Arugula Salad

• 2 cups baby arugula
• Juice of half lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Add the arugula, lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a small bowl. Toss well and keep aside.

Chilean Sea Bass

• 3 to 4 filets
• 2 tablespoons white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 tablespoon mirin

Preheat oven to broil.

Mix the miso paste, tamari and mirin in a small bowl and slather all over the fish filets. Marinate for 3 to 6 hours. Scrape the marinade off and place the filets on a baking sheet. Broil for 4 minutes on each side or till the fish is flaky from the top.
Serve the risotto in bowls topped with a mound of arugula. Place the fish filet on top and serve immediately.