Black Bass recipe with fig and red wine butter sauce is a fancy version of fish and chips. Urad Gota! Never heard of urad gota you say? Well I wasn’t that familiar with it as well. It is also known as matpe bean or black lentil.
The variety I used for this recipe is whole urad gota without the husk. So the end product is actually white not black because it doesn’t have its husk.
This “black lentil” isn’t a true lentil like beluga lentils but this husked bean, in this form, is sometimes referred to as a white lentil. I have to say this was my first time using it and I am a fan. It has good flavor and texture, I like the size of the beans, and it cooked really fast.
I simply added some carrots and leeks along with chimichurri to the gota and it was delicious! I wanted to add a sweetness to this dish which the figs and the balsamic-red wine butter sauce accomplished. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy it!
Black Bass with Fig, Urad, and Red Wine Butter Sauce
For the Black Bass
- 4 fillets black bass (5 oz each)
Urad Gota
- 1 cup Urad Gota (without husks (soaked for 20 minutes in water)
- 4 oz leek (cut in half)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 oz fennel (tops)
- 3 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
Vegetable Garnish
- 1 cup carrots (finely diced)
- 1 cup leek (finely diced)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chimichurri sauce
- 1 tsp salt (and pepper)
Purple Potato chips
- 6 whole purple fingerling potatoes (sliced thin and fried)
Beurre Rouge (red wine butter sauce)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup cream
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
Garnish
- 8 whole black mission figs
- 1 oz chervil
How to make urad gota
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Soak urad gota in a bowl with 3 cups of water for 20 minutes or more if you have time. Then in strain off the water and place in a medium size pot. Add 3 cups of water, vegetables, garlic, and salt.
Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the gota becomes tender (think like rice or beans). Then strain off the gota and discard vegetables.
Lay flat on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to cool down. Then in the same pot, place back on the stove, add butter, olive oil, diced carrots, leeks, and a pinch of salt.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cooled down gota back into the pot with the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes and add the chimichurri. Season with salt and pepper, set aside and keep warm
How to make beurre rouge sauce (red wine butter)
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Place red wine, balsamic, and cream into a small pot on medium heat. Reduce by 2/3 or until it is thick and almost syrup like, then add the butter. Season with salt and keep warm.
How to make potato chips
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In a small pot add vegetable oil for frying and bring to 315 degrees. Slice potatoes thin. Then in small batches add potatoes in, making sure not to add too many as to not overcrowd the pan. Fry until crisp. Strain out and season immediately with salt.
To finish
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Add figs to a heat proof pan and add one ladle of the red butter sauce over top and place in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. In a cast iron or non stick pan on medium high heat add olive oil to the pan.
Season fish with salt on the skin side. Season with salt and pepper on the filet side. Place the skin side down of the bass in the pan. Push down slightly for 15 seconds until the fillet won't curl up any more and lays flat in the pan.
Cook for 5 minutes in the pan. Meanwhile using a ring mold add a few scoops of the urad gota down inside the ring and push down tight to keep its shape. Add the fried blue potato chips on top.
Flip the fish over for 20 seconds and then take out and place on the plate next to the gota. Take the roasted glazed figs out of the oven and place next to the fish.
Finish with a ladle of the beurre rouge butter sauce around the plate. Garnish with chervil, serve and enjoy!
