Stuffed Baked Sea Bass Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) bag wild rice
• 9 cups water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (4 ounce) can crabmeat, drained
• 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
• 8 (6 ounce) thin and long fillets of sea bass
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

1. Rinse the wild rice and place in a large saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 45 to 55 minutes. Drain the rice if necessary and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, melt 1/3 cup butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 4 minutes.
5. Add the flour to the skillet and cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute.
6. Add the chicken broth and light cream to the skillet; cook and stir with a wire whisk until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir the Parmesan cheese into the sauce in the skillet and set aside.
8. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
9. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, crab, bacon, 1/2 cup of the cooked wild rice, and 1/4 cup of the sauce and mix.
10. Place the fillets on a cookie sheet and pat dry with paper towels.
11. Divide the cream cheese mixture onto the fillets and spread evenly. Roll up each fillet carefully to enclose the filling. Put a toothpick into the side of each pinwheel so they keep their shape.
12. Combine the remaining sauce with the wild rice and put into a 13" x 9" glass baking dish.
13. Carefully place the stuffed fillets (a spatula is easiest for this task) on the rice in the dish, placing them so the filling is up and the pinwheel shows, spacing evenly.
14. Drizzle the fillets with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
15. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
16. Spoon the wild rice onto the plates, and top each with a stuffed fillet. Make sure you remove the toothpick before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

Variations and Tips

• Choose long and thin fillets, about 6 to 8" long and 2" wide for easiest rolling.
• You can use other fish fillets in place of the sea bass. Pollock or red snapper work well.
• You can omit the bacon if you'd like.
• For a less expensive dish, substitute brown rice for all or part of the wild rice. Cook it according to package directions.
• Serve this dish with steamed or roasted asparagus or green beans and a fruit salad.
• You can make this dish ahead of time without baking it. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. When you're ready to eat, bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 375°F until the fish flakes and the sauce bubbles around the edges of the pan.