Pan Roasted Sea Bass with Mushrooms

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This is a great fish recipe for the winter time. The mushrooms give this dish a nice comforting, earthy flavor that makes me think of cold weather. This is a very flavorful dish that all gets prepared in one pan. Always nice for easy cleanup! Also, cod or snapper are good fish substitutes.

MAKES:4 Servings
PREP/COOK TIME: 40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/3 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

• 4 (6 ounce) skinless sea bass filets, 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

• 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin

• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large

• 1 pound portobello mushroom caps, halved and slice 1/2 inch thick

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley

• Lemon Wedges for serving

 DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the water and pour into a heat safe measuring cup and add the dried porcini mushrooms. Let them sit for 5 minutes or until softened. Drain the porcini mushrooms through a fine mesh strainer, reserving the liquid. Rinse the mushroom well if gritty.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 475 Degrees. Pat sea bass filets dry with a paper towel. Rub the filets with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt a pepper.

3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the rosemary sprig in a twelve-inch oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, cremini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cremini and portobello mushrooms have released their liquid and are beginning to brown, about 8 to ten minutes. Stir in the garlic and porcini mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Turn off the heat, stir in the reserved porcini liquid. Nestle the sea bass filets, skinned side down, into the skillet, transfer to oven and roast until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with a parring knife and registers 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil if desired. Serve with lemons wedges.