Macadamia Nut Crusted Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc Sauce

Another fabulous dish that you can do many variations on.  Depending on the time of year I "mix up" the beurre blanc sauce with some fruit by adding blood orange, or lemon, or passion fruit at the end of boiling down the liquid just prior to adding the butter.  Sometimes I just make the basic beurre blanc and sprinkle some fresh chives on top as the basic recipe is fantastic.  I usually use A LOT more wine than listed below, up to one full bottle, but use at least the quantity listed and you cannot go wrong.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc

2 x 6 oz sea bass (or halibut) 

3-4 shallots, finely diced

1 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into slices and kept chilled until needed (the colder the better - I often will chop the butter then put it in the freezer until needed), plus 3 Tbsp butter divided
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
fresh chives (optional), chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced*
1+ Tbsp olive oil or canola oil

In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp butter and saute shallots until translucent (about 3-5 minutes).  Add wine and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated (approximately 1/4 cup remaining).  Poor the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and strain into another saucepan.  Over low heat add in the heavy cream and reduce by half.  Add butter, one piece at a time until each slowly melts in.  Add salt and pepper and additional lemon (or other citrus/fruit) and keep warm.  Do not allow sauce to boil at this point.

Preheat oven to broil.

Clean fish and pat dry.  Salt and pepper the fish fillets.  Over medium high heat, melt 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil.  Saute fillets until lightly browned and just cooked through (depending on the thickness of the fish 3-5 minutes should do well).  Remove from pan and place on a baking tray that has been lined with non-stick foil.  Allow to cool slightly (3-5 minutes) while preparing the next step.

Combine the bread crumbs and the nuts with 1 Tbsp melted butter.  Brush the top of each cooked fish with egg and then pack on top a decent layer of the nut mixture, pressing firmly into place.  Some will fall off and that is ok.  Place in oven for 2-3 minutes under the broiler until golden brown on top.  Keep a close eye on them as they may brown quick depending on your oven.  Serve immediately with sauce over the top and chopped fresh chives if using.

*As with the lemon juice, use the same quantity of any citrus you decide to use to flavor the sauce but then omit the lemon from the recipe as it will be too acidic.  Play with the flavors and decide what you like the best - that is the best part of cooking!