Cooking this sea bass in a sous-vide water bath before very briefly searing it with a culinary torch produces a delightful roasted flavour without overcooking the fish. The perfect pairing for a quick home-made fennel sauerkraut. You won’t get any fermented flavours in 4 to 12 hours, but you do get the freshness of sauerkraut, with the refined aniseed flavour of fennel. Finished off with a bouillabaisse foam and served with Rustic Fries with lemon salt, this is an outstanding dish that just takes a few easy steps to prepare!

1. Start by making the fennel sauerkraut. The first step is the same as with classic sauerkraut, only with fennel instead of cabbage. Wash the fennel bulbs and grate them, razor-thin, on a cutting machine or on a Japanese mandolin.
2. Add the salt and the fennel seed and knead thoroughly until the fennel is glazed and the liquid is released. Repeat the kneading after 10 minutes and then add the sushi vinegar.
   Leave for at least a few hours and up to 12 hours at kitchen temperature before moving to the fridge.
3. For the bouillabaisse foam, pass the bouillabaisse through a fine sieve and bring to a boil with the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Mix in the pro-espuma, or, if you prefer, the pasteurised protein. Pour into a half-litre siphon and use one charger. About 15 minutes before serving, warm it up in a warm water bath at 65°C.
4. Score the skin of the sea bass fillets, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with olive oil. Place each fillet in a vacuum bag and vacuum. Store in the fridge until needed
5. Rinse the lemon under cold water and dry. Zest with a Microplane zester and mix with the salt. Store in an airtight container.

Serving

1. Cook the vacuumed sea bass for 15 minutes in a warm water bath at exactly 50°C.
2. Deep-fry the Rustic fries at 175°C for about 3 minutes.
3. Toss the fries with a heaped tablespoon of the lemon salt.
4. Heat the fennel sauerkraut with some butter and place it on the plate.
5. Remove the sea bass from the vacuum bag and sear the skin briefly with a culinary torch. Place the sea bass on the sauerkraut and top it all off with the bouillabaisse foam
6. Garnish with the fennel fronds and watercress.