Roasted Sea Bass with Crispy Bacon and Smoky Cherry Tomato served with White Corn Polenta

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs Sea Bass filets, bones removed and cut into 4 equal portions

1 tsp each – Chile powder, Smoked Sweet Paprika, ground Coriander, and ground Cumin, combined

Salt and Black Pepper

6 slices thick-cut Bacon, cut into ½” dice

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbl Olive Oil

¼ C St. Supéry Estate Sauvignon Blanc

2 C White Corn Polenta, prepared

1 Tbl Chives, minced

Directions

Mix up the spices, salt, and pepper and evenly coat all sides of the fish in the spice mix. Let rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
Place the diced bacon in a room temperature cast-iron skillet and place the pan over medium-heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the fat is rendered, and the bacon is crispy. Remove bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
In the same skillet, still containing the rendered bacon fat, add the tomatoes and let cook over medium-high heat, until one side of each tomato is dark and blistered, a few minutes.
Sprinkle garlic over, stir gently to combine, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
Gently place fish on top of the tomato mix, skin-side down, and drizzle the oil and wine evenly over. Place skillet into a 425˚ oven and bake 10-12 minutes, or until fish is just set.
Serve the fish and tomatoes over cooked polenta, with crispy bacon and chives sprinkled on top.