3468. ROASTED STRIPED BASS with BACON, MUSSELS, and SHRIMP

yields six servings


2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 ounces bacon, diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, drained and diced
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup Pernod, optional
1 (2 to 3-pound) striped bass fillet, skin removed
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
24 mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a medium saute pan and saute the onion and pancetta over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes, saffron, salt, pepper, white wine, and Pernod, if using, and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, lay the fish in a 10-by-14-inch baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and mussels to the dish. Pour the sauce over the seafood and bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, until the fish and shrimp are cooked through and the mussels are open. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 


bacon recipe source: "Friends of Friends" episode, Barefoot Contessa; Food Network