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Fennel Almond Milk Cream Sauce with Sea Bass

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 35 min

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons AP flour (or your choice of flour)
  • 1 cup pinot grigio (or chardonnay)
  • 1 cup low sodium seafood stock or chicken stock
  • 1 cup unflavored almond milk, extra creamy is recommended (or heavy cream)
  • 1 cup reduced fat parmesan, grated
  • sea salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 red fresno pepper, thinly diced
  • 1/4 cup (tightly packed) tarragon, finely chopped
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • Garnish
    •  tarragon, cracked pepper

Steps

Step 1

Set a carbon steel or stainless steel pan on medium high heat. Once hot, add avocado oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Once butter has melted, sprinkle of pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper to one side of the fillets and place in the pan to sear. Sear for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness, then remove from the pan (set aside). No worries if it is not cooked.

Step 2

Reduce heat to medium, then add remaining 1 tbsp of butter and the fennel. Stir, then cover and cook for 6 – 8 minutes, checking on it frequently to ensure it is not burning, or until the fennel has wilted quite a bit and turned brown.

Step 3

Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute to incorporate. Then add the flour, stir and then pour in the wine. Let the wine reduce to about 25%, it should be almost gone. Pour in the seafood stock and the almond milk and bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 4

Slowly sprinkle in the parmesan, NOT all at once, to prevent the cheese from clumping and continuously stir. Add the tarragon and diced pepper and fold together. Reduce the heat and add the sea bass fillets back to the pan. Turn the heat off and cover the pan to let the fish cook through, about 5 – 7 minutes.

Step 5

Garnish and enjoy with your favorite grain or pasta. Instead of pasta, I used farro for the texture and how nutrient dense it is!