Posted by GayleL - May 7, 2001

Source: Recipe courtesy Tony Baran, Trader Vic s, Beverly Hills, CA

Sea Bass Napoleon
1 (6 ounce) sea bass, cut into 2 thin slices
2 tablespoons Guajillo Chile Marinade, recipe follows
1/4 cup Coconut Lemon Grass Reduction Sauce, recipe follows
10 to 20 scallops, sliced into 2 thin pieces
1 teaspoon blackened seasoning, galangal powder blend
Neutral oil
1/3 cup currant, stemmed, or yellow and red pear tomatoes
1/2 ounce baby spinach, fresh
1 ounce enoki mushrooms
1 (1 ounce) thinly sliced smoked salmon
1 sprig rosemary, 4 inches in length
1/4 avocado, diced
1 teaspoon orange tobiko (Japanese flying fish roe)

Baste raw bass pieces with Guajillo chile marinade and set aside. Heat coconut reduction sauce and set aside; keep warm.

Brush scallops with blackened galangal powder blend and sear quickly, set aside and keep warm.

Heat saut?pan with little oil at medium low heat. When oil is hot, add bass, careful not to burn fish. Chile marinade contains a lot of sugar so watch your temperature, keep it low.

Blacken tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Add spinach and enoki mushrooms. Cook down until spinach has wilted and sauce is hot. Check on bass and turn when ready.

Plate the dish when fish is done. Place coconut reduction sauce on large plate to cover completely. Place spinach mushroom mixture in center of plate. Place largest piece of bass on top of spinach. Place scallops on top of bass. Cover scallops with smoked salmon slices (salmon is chilled or at room temperature, do not cook). Cover salmon with second piece of bass and use rosemary sprig to hold it all in one place. Add avocado around the outside of fish and garnish with tobiko.

Coconut Milk and Lemon Grass Reduction Sauce
1 quart coconut milk
3 1/2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed cleaned and bruised
1 ounce chipotle puree
4 ounces granulated sugar
1 cup lime juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Heavy cream, as needed if sauce breaks

Place coconut milk and lemon grass in large pan and bring to simmer, do not boil. Reduce heat by 65 to 70 percent and cool. Add remaining ingredients working in slowly and tasting so as not to over-season. Chill and hold. Use heavy cream if sauce breaks.

Guajillo Chili Marinade
1 1/4 pounds dry Guajillo chiles, cleaned
1 to 2 quarts rice vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
12 ounces shiracca chili paste (Thai chili paste)
1 pint Ginger Oil, recipe follows

Ginger Oil
8 ounces ginger, bruised
1 cup olive oil

For Guajillo chili marinade: Place dry chiles in large stockpot and cover with rice vinegar. Place sugar on top and bring to simmer, allow to cook until chiles are tender. Place chiles in blender and puree. Use liquid as needed for puree. Add ginger oil to 2 quarts of the puree and mix well. For ginger oil: Mix and bring to a boil, then leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Strain.

Yield: 1 serving