Sea Bass Fillet with Baby Peas, Spring Onions, and Mild Chorizo Cream

Preparing the Sea Bass - Scale and rinse the sea bass. Fillet the fish and remove all pin bones. Cut each fillet in half widthwise to create even portions. Store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Preparing the Chorizo Cream - Finely mince the onion and sauté it gently in butter until translucent. Add 100g of chorizo (cut into large cubes) and sweat over low heat for 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the Sherry vinegar. Once the vinegar has evaporated completely (reduced to dry), pour in the heavy cream. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Blend the mixture thoroughly in a blender, adjust seasoning to taste, and pass through a fine-mesh sieve (chinois).

Preparing the Chorizo Crisps - Using a meat slicer (or a very sharp knife), cut the remaining 100g of chorizo into paper-thin slices. Place them between two non-stick baking trays (to keep them flat) and bake at 160°C (320°F) for about 10 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Preparing the Garnish - The Peas: Shell the peas. Blanch them in boiling salted water for 1 minute, then immediately plunge them into ice water. Drain and gently remove the outer skin from each pea to keep only the two bright green inner halves. The Sauté: Mince half of the spring onions and sauté them in butter with the thyme flowers. Blanch, peel, seed, and dice the plum tomato (concasse). Add the peeled peas and diced tomato to the onions. Cook gently for 10 minutes. The Whole Onions: Peel the remaining spring onions. Boil them in salted water for 10 minutes, then cool in ice water and drain. Keep everything chilled until plating.

Finishing and Presentation - The Fish: Season the sea bass. In a non-stick pan with grapeseed oil, cook the fish skin-side down at 160°C (320°F) for about 10 minutes. Once cooked, transfer to a tray. The Reheating: In a pan with a knob of butter, gently toss the pea ragout and the whole spring onions separately to glaze them. Meanwhile, reheat the chorizo cream. Plating: Place the sea bass on the plate and remove the skin. Top the fish with the pea ragout. Arrange the buttered spring onions to the side, garnished with the crispy chorizo slices and the lettuce hearts (dressed with a little olive oil). Finish the dish by drizzling the warm chorizo cream around or over the fish.