Sea bass on bed of white beans, red bell pepper and pancetta

This is a winter fish recipe when you may prefer a spicier and more substantial dish. The recipe is loosely adapted from a French magazine. I have substituted the ingredients from the Pyrenees with local ingredients from Nice with an Italian twist.
But I have kept Piment d’Espelette AOC which is a mildly hot chili pepper from the northern territory of the Basque country. You can substitute this with some other mild/medium chili pepper powder.

2 servings

2 sea bass filets, about 150 g each
400 g tin of small white beans, eg. Bonduelle Haricots blancs préparés
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tsp Piment d’Espelette
50 g Italian pancetta cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Chives to decorate
Lemon wedges to serve

Preheat the oven to 200⁰ C.

In a large frying pan warm 1 tbsp rapeseed oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped bell pepper and pancetta cubes and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring now and again. Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the shallot, garlic and Piment d’Espelette. Sauté for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Rinse the beans under running water and add to the frying pan. Grind a few rounds of black pepper and stir well. Cover and let become thoroughly heated over medium heat.

Meanwhile arrange the sea bass filets on an ovenproof dish covered with baking paper. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over the filets and bake in oven for 10- 12 minutes, depending on the thickness.

Wash and dry the chives. Cut them finely, saving a few sprigs for decoration.

Divide the bean-vegetable mixture on the plates and arrange the sea bass filets on top. Decorate with chives and serve with lemon wedges.