Seared Sea Bass, Oven Roasted Potatoes with Fennel and Sherry Tarragon Sauce

For 4 servings

4 filets of fish (you can use trout or sea bass or any firm fish you like)
3 red-skinned potatoes
2 fennel bulbs
1 tbls fennel seeds
1 cup sherry vinegar
1 tbls sugar
1 shallot
4 sprigs of tarragon
∏ teaspoon orange zest
∏ teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Slice potatoes into ∏ inch matchsticks.  Slice fennel bulb into ∏ pieces as well, to ensure even cooking.  Toss potatoes and fennel in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet.  Cook in the 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes and fennel are nicely browned.

For fish:
Place 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle and grind until finely crushed.  Then season the fish with the crushed fennel seeds, and salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan until smoking, add the fish skin side down.  Cook for 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the filet) or until the skin is browned.  Flip fish and continue cooking until the fish is cooked through, roughly another 4-5 minutes.

For Sauce:
Place 1 cup of sherry vinegar in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 shallot finely diced.  Cook until mixture is reduced by half and sauce coats the back of a spoon.  To finish add 4 sprigs of tarragon finely diced along with ∏ tsp lemon zest and ∏ tsp orange zest.

To plate:
Place fish skin side up on plate and top with potato and fennel “fries”.  Spoon sauce evenly around the plate.