Striped Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc

A couple of years back we visited Cave Spring Vineyard during harvest and spoke with Tom Pennachetti about the Riesling grapes. Those grapes are now wine in the bottle, so we thought we'd cook something using the wine.
This recipe comes courtesy of Cave Spring's sibling restaurant Inn On The Twenty. Visiting a winery, and getting recipes / tips from their chef is a great way to learn how to cook with wine.
We scaled it back, because there are only two of us for dinner, you can easily do the same.
Striped Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc recipe video

Ingredients:

6 striped sea bass fillets ( you can substitute)
2 tbsp grape seed oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 bunches of watercress - puréed
1 handful of watercress for garnish
1 tbsp chopped shallots
¹/₄ cup Cave Spring Riesling
¹/₂ fresh squeezed lemon
4 oz cold butter

Method:

Pre-heat skillet (non-stick would be best for this) over med-high heat.
Rub fillets with grape seed oil, and then season with salt and pepper.
Place fillets in pan flesh side down and sear for 2 minutes - or until flesh starts to brown.
Repeat the same on skin side.
Remove fish from pan, and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
In same pan, add Riesling and chopped shallots.
Reduce wine by two thirds over high heat.
Add cold butter 1 oz. at a time, whisk until melted before adding the next.
Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Place watercress purée in centre of plate, cut fillets in half and place over purée.
Spoon sauce over fish.
Garnish with whole watercress.
Serve with rice or risotto.

Recipe courtesy Kevin Maniaci - Chef - Inn On The Twenty
Wine courtesy Cave Spring Cellars

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