California Sea Bass with Shell Bean Risotto and Gremolata Butter

Name: California Sea Bass with Shell Bean Risotto and Gremolata Butter
Ingredients: 6 California sea bass fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each; 2 lemons, zested; 1 tablespoon thyme leaves; 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/4 cup whole parsley leaves; 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Shell bean risotto (recipe follows); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 1/2 cups chicken stock; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 cup diced white onion; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves; 1 chile de árbol, crumbled; 1 1/2 cups high-quality Arborio rice (see Sources); 1/4 cup white wine; 1 cup cooked mixed shell beans (see page 193); 2 ounces young spinach, sliced; 2 tablespoons sliced flat-leaf parsley; 2 tablespoons sliced opal basil; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

January 24, 2012

Shell beans are a big part of late summer and early fall in our kitchen. If you happen to come by Lucques on a slow night when they’re in season, you’ll see runners, cooks, and dishwashers gathered around huge piles of shell beans, shucking, shucking, shucking. For me, shucking provides a much-needed period when my hands can do the work and my brain takes a little time off. Don’t worry, shell beans for six won’t require a crew of shuckers.

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