Best Nantucket Striped Bass With Lemon And Dill Recipes

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PAN-FRIED STRIPED BASS WITH LEMON SAUCE



Pan-Fried Striped Bass with Lemon Sauce image

Pan-frying is best for thinner fillets and steaks, or for whole fish that are no more than 1 inch thick. Season the fish with salt and pepper and other seasonings such as chopped fresh herbs or crushed spices as desired. For skinless fillets, heat a heavy sauté or frying pan until quite hot; add just enough oil, clarified butter, or a mix of oil and whole butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Carefully add the fish and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes (4 to 5 minutes for whole fish) and then turn. Cook for another 3 minutes and test for doneness. Remove the fish from the pan when it is just slightly underdone, as it will continue cooking in the residual heat. When cooking fish with skin, add more fat to the pan, about 1/8 inch deep. Put the fish into the pan skin side down. The skin will shrink while it cooks, pulling the fish up from the bottom of the pan. To keep the skin next to the hot pan (which is necessary to crisp it), weigh the fillets down with a foil-wrapped skillet that is slightly smaller than the one used for the cooking. This will hold the fillets fl at and ensure even crisping of the skin. Cook the fillets on their skin for the majority of the time, about 5 to 7 minutes, depending on their thickness, then turn them and cook on the flesh side for just another minute or two, or until done. Remember that the pan must be quite hot before the fish is added; this will keep it from sticking. Also, don't crowd the fish or it will sweat and give off liquid, ruining any chances of browning and crisping. Lastly, don't overcook the fish. A quick pan sauce can be made aft er you have removed the fish and poured off the cooking fat. Add tomato sauce to the hot pan and stir in all the brown bits left on the pan for added flavor, or deglaze the hot pan with wine or lemon juice and finish with a swirl of butter or extra-virgin olive oil and a handful of herbs. Add a handful of toasted nuts for flavor and texture. The striped bass fishery, once endangered, has fully recovered and is now flourishing. This fish is especially delicious with its skin left on and sautéed until brown and crispy.

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
4 pieces striped bass, skin on (4 to 6 ounces each)
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
Olive oil, enough to generously coat the bottom

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.

PAN-COOKED BASS WITH DILL AND CUCUMBER



Pan-Cooked Bass with Dill and Cucumber image

Provided by Ruth Cousineau

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 (5- to 7-oz) black sea bass or striped bass fillets (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) with skin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 seedless cucumber (often plastic-wrapped), very thinly sliced
Special Equipment
parchment paper

Steps:

  • Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet, then remove from heat and cool. Put fillets, flesh sides down, in butter, then turn over so skin sides are down. Sprinkle fish with salt (1/2 teaspoon), pepper (1/4 teaspoon), and 1 tablespoon dill. Arrange cucumber slices overlapping on fish (like scales) and season with salt and pepper. Cover fish directly with a piece of buttered parchment paper (buttered side down) large enough to cover it, then tightly cover skillet with lid or foil.
  • Cook fish over moderately high heat until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Remove parchment and sprinkle fish with remaining 1/2 tablespoon dill and drizzle with some pan juices.

BAKED SEA BASS WITH WALNUT-BREADCRUMB CRUST AND LEMON-DILL SAUCE



Baked Sea Bass with Walnut-Breadcrumb Crust and Lemon-Dill Sauce image

Categories     Food Processor     Fish     Mustard     Nut     Broil     Horseradish     Parmesan     Walnut     Bass     Winter     Bon Appétit

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

4 6-ounce sea bass fillets
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
3/4 cup walnuts (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 ounce)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
4 teaspoons olive oil
Lemon-Dill Sauce

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2- inch baking pan. Arrange fillets in prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix breadcrumbs and walnuts in processor. Using on/off turns, process until nuts are finely chopped. Transfer to bowl. Mix in butter, horseradish and mustard. Stir in cheese and parsley. Gently press crumb mixture onto fillets. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over each. Bake until fillets are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  • Preheat broiler. Broil fish until crust is golden, watching closely to avoid burning, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plates. Serve fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce.

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