Marinated Pan-Fried Sea Bass Fillets with Fennel Seeds

Ingredients:

4 sea bass fillets, all bones removed, skin on

one shallot, peeled and quartered

5 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup of rapeseed oil

juice of one lemon

1 tsp salt

1 bunch of thyme, stems removed 

3 tbsp of rapeseed oil to fry fish

To finish:

Salt and pepper

2 tsps crushed fennel seeds

Lemon slices

Olive oil 

Method:

First shape up your fillets by trimming the very thin sides down and the bottom tip so it forms a rectangle shape. Take a fish knife and cut small little slits down the skin side of the fish, lengthwise from tail to where the head would be. Then marinate your fish by adding the remaining ingredients into a bullet (except oil to fry with) and then add to a large bowl with the sea bass. Cover and refrigerate for about thirty minutes to an hour. 

When you are ready to cook, lay out some paper towels and place the fillets on top. Wipe away as much of the marinade as you can and season both sides with fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Heat a pan to medium high heat, putting a little rapeseed oil in. Put the sea bass in skin side down, lower heat to medium low, and press down firmly with a spatula onto fish so the skin does not curl and remains flat. You want to keep doing this for about three to four minutes. Then leave alone in the pan to cook almost 90 percent through, or about four to five minutes. You will see fish going almost completely opaque. Flip over and remove from heat. Leave in hot pan for about four to five minutes. Remove. Serve with fresh lemon.