Something smells fishy - A Pic a Day in May #12

Actually, nothing smelled fishy. This fish smelled fresh and appetizing. We got a bar (sea bass) at the Saturday market in Saint-Aignan for our lunch. The fish monger scaled and gutted it for us so all we had to do was dress it and roast it when we got home. Ken used bay leaves and tarragon from the garden and sliced lemon to flavor the fish. He sprinkled a little hot pepper on top and added a bit of white wine to the roasting pan.

Oven-roasted sea bass stuffed with fresh tarragon. Yum! The fish weighed about 850g (just under 2 lbs) before gutting.

The result was tender and delicious. As a starter, we had some escargots de bourgogne (snails with garlic, butter, and parsley). These we bought frozen at the supermarket. We just put them on this special aluminum snail dish and baked them until the butter was melted and bubbly. They were delicious, too, and surprisingly not very salty. We may have to sprinkle a little salt on them before they go into the oven next time.

Frozen snails (stuffed in shells) ready for the oven.

We served the snails with a nice dry Champagne. We ate the fish with broccoli and boiled potatoes and served it with a local chardonnay. In addition to going to the market on Saturday, we stopped in at our local wine co-op as they were having their annual open house. They gave us a 13% discount on some of our favorite wines along with a free bottle of sauvignon blanc. Such a deal!