Recipe: Chilean Sea Bass with Plantain Skewers

One of the true pleasures of traveling by sea is indulging in freshly caught fish prepared to perfection – which is a delight you’ll experience wherever you choose to dine aboard Oceania Cruises. Always offering you The Finest Cuisine at Sea™, our gourmet culinary program takes pride in using only fresh, premium ingredients from around the world. Wherever you sail, you can savor local and flavorful fish since our ships source fresh seafood from multiple ports during each and every voyage.

Our ships sailing throughout South America serve an array of fresh, locally caught delights such as Brazilian grouper, Chilean sea bass and Peruvian mussels. Below is one of our favorite Chilean sea bass recipes, served in the elegant Grand Dining Room.

Chilean Sea Bass with Plantain Skewers
Serves 5

Ingredients

5 fresh filets of Chilean sea bass, approximately 7 ounces each 5 tablespoons of olive oil Salt, to taste Finely ground black pepper, to taste

Plantain Skewers 2 green plantains, peeled, halved and sliced into 1-inch pieces 10 pieces of halved kumquats 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil

Vanilla Beurre Blanc 3 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped 3 tablespoons Noilly Prat vermouth 3 tablespoons white wine (Mauzac or Chenin Blanc) 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 3 tablespoons clear chicken consommé 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons butter Salt, to taste Finely ground black pepper, to taste

Garnish:
5 sprigs fresh chervil

Directions: Sweat the shallots in butter for 5 minutes until translucent. Deglaze with white wine and Noilly Prat. Add the vanilla pods that have been cut in half and scraped to get all the vanilla into the sauce. Reduce by half. Add the chicken consommé and the cream and reduce slowly by half or until thick consistency. Strain the sauce and blend with a piece of butter. Season to taste. Reserve, but do not boil the sauce again. Grill the half kumquat and make the banana skewers. Grill the banana skewer and keep warm. Grill the fish and serve with 2 pieces of the plantain banana skewer. Drizzle the Vanilla Beurre Blanc sauce around the fish and garnish with a sprig of fresh chervil. Saffron pilaf rice makes an excellent accompaniment.