Sea Bass Stuffed With Herbed Goat Cheese and Fennel

I thought up this recipe as I relaxed by the little lake at The Woodberry Inn in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. When we returned home, I went to Whole Foods in Chapel Hill to buy fresh Chilean Sea Bass and the rest of the ingredients I needed to prepare a special dinner for Nancy. For this meal I asked the fishmonger to cut 1/2 pound of sea bass for Nancy and I. (Marta will not eat fish.)   

I also asked the fishmonger if he would use his skills to slice a pocket in the fish. He was happy to accommodate. I already had picked up a package of herbed goat cheese, a fennel bulb, and a small container of fresh Mediterranean olives to dress up the dish. I had also picked up a fresh baked loaf of rustic batard bread, Swiss red chard to steam for our vegetable, and the ingredients to prepare a salad. Here are the instructions for preparing the sea bass.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

• Chilean Sea Bass (1/2 pound provides a nice portion to serve 2 people)
• Herbed goat cheese
• Mediterranean olives for garnish (optional)
• 1 Fennel bulb with fronds 
• 1 Large shallot, chopped
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt

Instructions:

Cut the fennel fronds off of the bulb. Set two fronds aside to stuff in the fish pocket. Chop the remaining 2 stems of fennel fronds and a large shallot. Saute the chopped fennel and shallot in a small skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Set the sauteed vegetables aside.

Rinse the fish in cold water and slice a deep pocket in the fish. (I asked the fishmonger to slice the pocket.) Rub the fish with olive oil and stuff the pocket in the fish with 2-3 sliced rounds of herbed goat cheese. Then lay two strips of fennel fronds on top of the cheese and close the fish pocket. Set the fish in a small baking dish. Salt the top of the fish. Spoon the sauteed chopped fennel and shallots over the top of the fish, and if you wish, put some marinated Mediterranean olives in the dish around the fish.

Bake the fish in the preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.