Difficulty:[usr 2]
Slice the fennel bulbs into six lengthways. Peel and crush the garlic clove. Strip the thyme and crush the bay leaf.
In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to sear the sliced fennel and brown them on all sides. Store them in a baking dish. In the same skillet, throw the crushed garlic, thyme leaves and crushed bay leaf. Sprinkle with pastis. Flambé, detaching the cooking juices from the fennel using a spatula. Pour this juice over the dish of fennel. Add the remaining olive oil, 1 pinch of Guérande salt and 3 turns of the pepper mill. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven at th 7 (210°C).
Meanwhile, grate the zest from the oranges and squeeze them, as well as the lemon to collect the juice. Reserve juice and zest separately. Cut 150 g of butter into cubes and keep them cool. Ten minutes before sitting down to eat, melt 50 g of butter in a non-stick pan. Sear the ray cutlets on both sides to color them. Salt them, pepper them, keep them warm.
In the pan, pour the soy sauce and the lime and orange juices. Let reduce. Add the cubes of very cold butter, whisking vigorously until you obtain a very smooth ointment. On a large platter, place the skate escalopes on candied fennel. Pour the sauce around and sprinkle with sprigs of fresh coriander and some orange zest.
Note:the cubes of butter must be hard and very fresh to obtain a good bond.
