I Made It Mahself - Sea Bass with Sweet and Sour Fig Sauce

Meandering through Whole Foods a few days back, I spied a stunning basket of figs. We're at the very, very tail end of the season, so I snatched up these vibrant beauties for a last hurrah.

I read a recipe a while back about a sweet and sour fig sauce, and thought I'd pair it with a luscious white fish. Here's the lowdown:

Sea Basst with Sweet and Sour Fig Sauce
* Served with Eggplant, onion and mushroom mixture

(Serves 2)

1 Eggplant, medium-sized
1 small white onion
1/2 cup wild mushrooms
1 Garlic clove
Lots of olive oil for sauteing
Pinch of parsely
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup white wine
1 TB heavy cream
2 5-6 oz fillets of sea bass
2-3 fresh figs
1 1/3 TB Balsalmic Vinegar

-- Preheat oven to 350
-- Slice the eggplant in half; rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap in foil and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the insides are soft.
-- When the eggplant is cool to touch, scoop out the insides and set aside. Save the hollow eggplant as a serving dish.
-- Heat about 2 TB olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. When smokey, add the mushrooms; saute for about 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
-- In the same skillet, add another TB or so of olive oil. Cook the onions and garlic for abou 2 minutes, until golden. Add the mushrooms, eggplant, white wine, parsley, and cream - stir and heat for about 1 minute. Place mixture inside the hollowed eggplant and keep warm.
-- Add another TB or so of olive oil to the skillet. Place the fish, skin-side down (if applicable) and cook for about 2 minutes. Don't budge the fish at all while cooking. Turn the fish, and cook the otherside for another 2 minutes. If the fish is thick, throw it in the over for a few minutes to cook all the way through.
-- While the fish is cooking, take the pulp of the figs and add the vinegar, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
-- When fish is ready, place it on top of the eggplant mixture, and drizzle the fig sauce around the whole plate.

Serve while super hot. So good!



This tastes like a vinegar-punched, figgy dream. I loved the delicateness of the sea bass paired with such a strong and powerful sauce. Enjoy!