Divine Deliciousness - Sea Bass with Fennel Rice

My roommate and I cooked an amazingly delicious dinner the other night and I just had to share the recipe.  The ingredients aren't cheap, but this may possibly be the best meal I've had in months!

Roasted Sea Bass with Tomato and Green Bean salad

Makes 4 servings
6 pts/serving

Salad
Saute 1/2 lb of green beans in a medium saute pan just spray pan with 0 calorie olive oil cooking spray for about 10 minutes until tender.

Mince 1 garlic glove and mash to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  In a bowl, whisk together garlic with 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Whisk in 2 tbsp olive oil.  Toss with green beans and 1/2 lb grape tomatoes (mixed colors if possible), 1/2 lb cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if possible) and 2 tbsp of capers.  Cut large tomatoes in half if necessary.  Let stand and stir occasionally while fish cooks.

Fish
Preheat oven to 425 with rack in the middle.  Spray a 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish with olive oil spray.

Rub flesh sides of 4 6-oz fillets of sea bass with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper total.  Slice 1/2 of a red onion in thin slices and divide into 2 portions.  Sandwich each portion and 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh oregano between 2 fillets of fish.  Tie the fillets together with kitchen string and transfer to the baking dish.  Roast fish in oven until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Cut strings and serve 1 fillet per person topped with salad.

Fennel and Golden Raisin Rice

Makes 4 servings
4 pts/serving

Cook 1 medium onion (diced) and 1 large fennel bulb (stalks discarded, also chopped) with 1/3 cup golden raisin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Look for the onions to become translucent but not caramelized to determine when the mixture is cooked to perfection.  Add 1 cup long grain white rice and cook for about a minute.  Add 2 cups of water and bring to a strong boil.  Thightly cover and cook on low heat, undisturbed, until water is absorbed, about 22 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Let stand for about 10 minutes, then serve with the fish dish above and a glass of French Chardonnay if you so choose!