Striped Bass with Tomato Relish

Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Finely shred the peel from the lemons; juice the lemons. Set peel and juice aside.

For tomato relish, in a saute pan, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, the half shallot, and the fennel seeds; cook about 2 minutes or until shallot is translucent and mixture is aromatic. Add celery and capers; cook for 2 minutes more. Add wine; cook over high heat until rapidly boiling. Boil until about half of the liquid has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes, basil, garlic oil, red wine vinegar , the one shallot, one-third of the lemon peel, and one-third of the lemon juice. Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season fish with the remaining lemon peel and the remaining lemon juice. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. In a large oven-going nonstick skillet , heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add fish, skin sides down, to hot skillet. Cook for 45 seconds; using a metal spatula, give each fillet a push to loosen the skin from the skillet. Add the thyme stems to the oil; spoon the oil over the fillets.

Once the skin of the fillets begins to turn golden, place skillet in oven; bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Carefully transfer fillets to a paper-towel-lined plate . Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve fish with the tomato relish.