Recipe - Stuffed And Roasted Wild Stripped Bass

1 Striped bass (abt 6 lbs);
scaled, gutted,
And butterflied with the
bones removed
(or use 2 boneless bass
fillets)
One fourth cup Olive oil
2 Onions; minced
1 pound Fresh leeks; white part,
washed and minced ,
Reserving the long dark
greens
One half pound Carrots; peeled, cut or sliced up thin
1 cup Coarselychopped; drained
plum tomatoes
3 pound Spinach leaves; cleaned,
chopped
3 tablespoon Chopped garlic
2 tablespoon Dry thyme
One half pound Dayold French bread; crust
removed,
White part only cubed
One half cup Dry white wine
Sea salt; to taste
Freshlyground black pepper;
to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large
skillet over medium heat for one minute. Add onion, leek and carrot, season
with salt and pepper and cook until wilted, about seven to nine minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook for several minutes to dry
the tomatoes of any excess juice, remove the vegetables from the pan with a
slotted spoon and return the pan to the fire. Add another tablespoon of oil
to the pan and heat for a moment before adding the spinach. Cook for 2 to 3
minutes, return the vegetables to the pan and cook for a minute. Add the
garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes before stirring in the bread.
Adjust the seasoning and remove from the heat. Allow to cool thoroughly.
Blanch the dark greens of the leeks in boiling, salted water for 2 to 3
minutes or until thoroughly limp. Refresh in cold water and reserve. These
strips will be used to tie the fish closed after stuffing. Lay the strips
of dark leek side by side in the roasting pan. Place the fish into a large
roasting pan and on top of the leek greens. Open the cavity and season the
inside of the fish with salt and pepper. Fill the body of the fish evenly
with the vegetable stuffing. Rub the remaining oil evenly over the outside
body of the bass and season the skin with salt and pepper. Fold the fish
cavity closed and pull the leek greens taut to seal or tie the fish closed.
Place the roasting pan into the oven and roast for 1 hour or until the fish
is firm and the center is thoroughly hot in the middle of the vegetables.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving. This
recipe yields 10 to 12