Photos: Roasting fillet of sea bass with chef Michael Cimarusti

Michael Cimarusti has his ingredients on hand as he prepares his roasted fillet of white sea bass en escabeche in the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Cimarusti adds tomatoes and other ingredients to make the escabeche.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Cimarusti pours the escabeche into a colander in a bowl to get the liquid for the sauce.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Cimarusti reduces the escabeche in a sauce pan.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Cimarusti sprinkles Espelette pepper powder on the fillet.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

The fillet is sauteed in butter over medium heat.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

While sauteeing in the pan, the fish is basted with butter and its juices to keep it moist.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

After sauteeing the fish on each side, it’s left to rest three minutes and then the temperature is checked. The fish is put on a roasting rack in a 300-degree oven for three minutes, then left to rest three minutes in stages until it reads 118 degrees on a thermometer.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

The escabeche vegetables are placed onto the plate first.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

The roasted fish is placed atop the escabeche and more vegetable garnish is added for the finished dish.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Cimarusti is the chef and owner at Providence and Connie and Ted’s.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)