Pan-roasted Sea Bass and Potato-Pear Salad

This is an easy meal to throw together, but somehow I still managed to use every dish in the house. But that’s nothing new. Despite the hour of dish-doing Gabe had to endure, I’d say the meal was completely worth it. The pear-potato salad was an epicurious.com find, and I altered it slightly, but nothing significant. The lemon juice, curry powder, and pears brought a new brightness to the potatoes. It’s as if someone pulled up the blinds, kicked the potatoes out of bed, and made them play the tuba.

Anyways, it’s good, and it’s easy. I pan roasted the sea bass, which is a pretty great way to cook most hearty proteins, I’ve found.

Pear-Potato Salad
Adapted from the New American Table via epicurious.com

1/4 c. olive oil
1 pound purple potatoes, peeled and cut cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. blanched almonds, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
salt and pepper
juice from 1 lemon

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 12 or so minutes. Add the pears, onion, garlic, almonds, and curry powder, and saute for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.

Pan-roasted Sea Bass
2 sea bass filets, about a pound each
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring the sea bass to room temperature and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof (cast iron works well) pan on high until it starts to smoke a bit. Place the filets in the pan, skin side down, and sear for 4-5 minutes, until the skin is crispy. Flip and cook on the other side for 30 seconds. Place the whole pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes, until it is cooked through, but still breaks into luscious flakes with your fork.

Finish by seasoning with lemon juice.

So, how did I manage to make so many dishes?