Red Tea Smoked Sea Bass with Cinnamon Caramelized Plums

Smoking meat and fish with tea leaves is a traditional Szechuan technique that’s now popular with restaurant chefs. It can be easily done at home in the oven. Red tea infuses sea bass with fragrant smokiness and a slight nutty flavour.

Ingredients

Serves 24
45 ml Red tea leaves, divided
5 ml Fresh minced garlic
5 ml Club House ® Ginger, Ground
4 each Sea bass fillets, skinless
45 ml Uncooked long grain white rice
30 ml Packed dark brown sugar
15 ml Butter
250 ml (1 cup) French bread cubes (1/2 inch)
2 each Club House ® Cinnamon Sticks
7 ml Club House ® Cloves, Ground
500 ml Plums, sliced
30 ml Plum jam
30 ml Water
1 each Green onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
45 ml Soy sauce, reduced sodium

Procedure

For Sea Bass: Mix soy sauce, 1 1/2 tsp. of the red tea leaves, garlic and ginger in small bowl until well blended. Place sea bass in large non-reactive pan. Add marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Line large roasting pan with foil. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. red tea leaves, rice and sugar. Spread evenly in bottom of pan. Place a metal rack in pan. Place fish and marinade in disposable pie plate or in foil boat. Place pie plate on rack. Cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Bake on lowest rack in preheated 450°F oven 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium sauté pan on medium heat. Add bread cubes and cinnamon sticks. Sprinkle bread with ground cinnamon; cook and stir 5 minutes or until bread cubes are toasted. Remove bread cubes, reserving cinnamon sticks in sauté pan. Add plums to sauté pan ; cook and stir until plums begin to caramelize. Add jam, water and juices in pie plate from cooked fish; cook and stir gently to glaze plums.To serve, spoon glazed plums onto each of 4 plates. Top with croutons and sea bass. Sprinkle with green onion.
For Cinnamon Caramelized Plums: Meanwhile melt butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add bread cubes and cinnamon sticks. Sprinkle bread with ground cinnamon; cook and stir 5 minutes or until bread cubes are toasted. Remove bread cubes reserving cinnamon sticks in sauté pan. Add plums to sauté pan; cook and stir until plums begin to caramelize. Add jam water and juices in pie plate from cooked fish; cook and stir gently to glaze plums.Plating Instructions:To serve spoon glazed plums onto each plate. Top with croutons and sea bass. Sprinkle with green onion.

CHEF's TIP!

Red tea or rooibos tea comes from the South African red bush. It is reddish in color and is naturally sweet and slightly nutty. It is high in antioxidants and is caffeine-free.