Sea bass a la talla

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Nud Dudhia serves up his stunning sea bass a la Talla recipe, his interpretation of the famous fish dish served at Contramar in Mexico City. He uses the Vitamix to the vibrant red and green salsas to just the right consistency – the salsa roja bringing a slightly smoky, deeply rich flavour, and the vibrant salsa verde bringing fresh tanginess from the tomatillos.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Sea bass

  • 1 sea bass, weighing 400–600g, butterflied (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
  • 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil

Salsa roja

Salsa verde

Equipment

  • Vitamix Ascent A3500

Method

1
To make the salsa roja, roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a dry frying pan or under a hot grill until blackened all over, for around 5–10 minutes
2
Peel the onion and garlic and place in the Vitamix container with the tomatoes. Toast the arbol chillies for 1–2 minutes in a hot, dry pan, then add to the Vitamix. Add the red wine vinegar and salt and blend on Variable 5 until smooth. Loosen up with the chicken stock to make a paste-like consistency
3
To make the salsa verde, place the serrano chillies, garlic, tomatillos and shallots in the Vitamix container and pulse on Variable 5 until smooth. Add the avocado, pulse to combine, then add a little water if the salsa is too thick. Fold in the coriander and lime juice and season with salt
4
Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9, or preheat a grill to high
5
Place an ovenproof frying pan over a high heat, add the rapeseed oil and when hot, add the sea bass, skin-side down. Push down using a fish slice to ensure that the all of the skin is in contact with the frying pan
6
Brush one half of the fish with the salsa roja to create an even red colour. Do the same with the other side using the salsa verde. Cook for 3 minutes, then place the frying pan in the oven or under the grill. Cook for another 3–4 minutes, or until the fish is just starting to flake and is cooked through
7
Meanwhile, place half a lime cut-side down in a hot, dry pan until nicely charred
8
Transfer the sea bass to a serving plate with the charred lime on the side. Serve fresh lime wedges, coriander and tortillas on the side, or dig into the fish as it is

Nud’s journey began in a makeshift taco shack in a car park in Hackney, where he set up Breddos Tacos with his business partner Chris Whitney.

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