Best Bass Steaks With Basil Pepper Compote Recipes

SKIRT STEAK W/BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• make a paste of garlic and salt transfer to a blender and add olive oil, lemon juice, basil, cayenne and pepper, blend until smooth, set aside.
• mix cumin, salt and pepper and rub into both sides of skirt steak.
• spray a grill pan with cooking spray.
• add steaks, in 2 batches, and cook 2-5 minutes per side for medium rare.
• slice steaks thinly across the grain, serve with sauce.

PAN-FRIED STRIPED BASS WITH LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce, whisk together: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Taste for salt and lemon juice and adjust as desired. The sauce will separate as it sits; this is not a problem.
• Season: 4 pieces striped bass, skin on (4 to 6 ounces each) with: Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Choose a heavy-bottomed pan for frying the fish. Take another, slightly smaller pan that will fit into the pan for the fish, and wrap its bottom with foil. This pan will be used as a weight to hold the fish flat against the frying pan to ensure that all of the skin will cook and crisp. (You will see the fish contract when it goes into the hot pan, as the skin shrinks on contact with the heat.) Warm the larger pan over medium-high heat. When hot, pour in: Olive oil, enough to generously coat the bottom.
• Add the pieces of bass, skin side down, and place the foil-wrapped pan on top of the fish. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Check now and then to see that the fish is indeed browning, but not overbrowning. Adjust the heat up or down to speed up or slow down the cooking as needed. When the skin is browned, remove the top pan and turn the fish. Cook for another minute or so, until the fish is just cooked through, but is still moist and tender inside. Meanwhile whisk the lemon sauce together again and pour it onto a warm plate. Serve the fish skin side up, on top of the sauce.
• Garnish the fish with a couple spoonfuls of chopped tender herbs such as parsley, chives, chervil, cilantro, or basil.
• Soak, rinse, and squeeze dry a tablespoon or so of capers. When the fish is cooked add the capers to the hot pan and sauté for a minute or two. Remove with a slotted spoon and scatter over the fish.
• Make a Beurre Blanc (Warm Butter Sauce; page 228) instead of the olive oil sauce.

BASS STEAKS WITH BASIL-PEPPER COMPOTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Add the salt and black pepper and whisk well to combine. Slowly drizzle in the white wine. Add the onions and peppers, stir well to combine and set aside for 1 hour. Add the tomatoes and basil, stir and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper to taste. Place the bass in this mixture and marinate for 1 to 4 hours.
• If using a charcoal grill, prepare the coals. When they are hot, remove the bass from the marinade and grill on each side for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bass. After turning the fish, spoon the marinade over the bass and partially cover the grill so that the fish is allowed to smoke. Use a spatula to place each steak and its topping on plates and serve immediately. (If using a broiler, follow the same instructions, broiling the bass on one side, turning it, spooning on the marinade and broiling until done. Allow at least 4 inches between the fish and the flame to avoid burning.)