PAN-FRIED STRIPED BASS WITH LEMON SAUCE
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
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.
SALT-BAKED FISH WITH LEMON-OLIVE RELISH
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 1h50m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Rinse the fish inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with pepper. Finely chop 2 tablespoons parsley and set aside. Divide the remaining parsley between the fish cavities.
- Toast the fennel seeds in a dry medium skillet over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Grind the toasted fennel seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle; transfer all but 1 tablespoon to an extra-large bowl. Add the salt and lemon zest, then stir in the egg whites until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
- Pat a thin layer of the salt mixture, slightly larger than the shape of the fish, on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Put the fish on top of each salt pile, then cover completely with the remaining salt mixture, following the shape of the fish and patting down the salt mixture. Before the fish is fully encased, mark the thickest part of each fish behind the neck with a paring knife and make a small hole in the salt mixture (this is where you?ll insert a thermometer).
- Bake the fish until the crusts are golden and a thermometer inserted into the marked spots registers 140 degrees F, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the relish: Mix the olives with the olive oil, lemon juice, reserved 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon ground fennel, 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To remove the salt, crack the crusts all the way around the fish with a paring knife; discard the crusts. Slide a spatula under each end of the fish and transfer to a platter or cutting board. To serve, remove the top fillet of each fish with a butter knife or spoon; discard the skin. Pull off the bone; discard the bone and head. Remove the skin from the bottom fillet. Serve with the lemon-olive relish.
WHOLE SMOKE-ROASTED STRIPED BASS AND ROCKET PESTO
Chris Schlesinger, chef-owner of East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is largely responsible for getting us into barbecue. His Fourth of July parties in Westport, Massachusetts, may be right up there with his reputation as a chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. Every year on the holiday, friends of Chef Schlesinger bring 30- to 50-pound (13.7- to 22.8-kg) whole bass that they've just caught, and he usually asks us to cook them. There is nothing better than smoky whole fish just off the fire. Like bone-in meat, fish retains its moisture best when you cook it whole. We came up with this recipe the first year we were asked to cook one, and it was so good, it's been a keeper. We grilled sweet corn with it, which is a perfect complement to the rich, smoky fish. Because we're dealing with significant bulk, and fish sizes are so variable, it's hard to provide a definitive cook time. Our friend Wade Wiestling, vice president of culinary development at the Oceanaire Seafood Room, gave us a great guideline: cook 5 minutes per inch (2.5 cm) at the fish's largest circumference, at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). This recipe serves a lot of people, so plan on a big party.
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Yield 20 to 30 servings
Number Of Ingredients 28
Steps:
- Make sure the fish has had all its scales removed, and that the inside cavity is clean. If there are any scales left, remove them using the back of a knife to scrape the skin from tail to head. Pat the skin dry with a towel.
- Prepare smoker and bring heat to 400degreesF (200 degrees C). We recommend oak or hickory as the smoke wood.
- In a blender, puree the olive oil, garlic, 5 cups (300 g) parsley leaves, rosemary, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth. Coat the fish with the herb mixture inside and out. Stuff the cavity with the basil, tarragon, thyme, and remaining 1 bunch parsley.
- Transfer fish to a large foil-lined baking sheet, and smoke for 5 minutes for every inch (2.5 cm) the fish measures at its largest circumference, or until the fish's internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
- To serve, gently transfer roasted fish to a large platter or cutting board and drizzle with Rocket Pesto. Serve with Cheesy Grilled Corn.
- Pesto is traditionally made with basil, garlic, parmesan or pecorino cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil, but we thought we'd shake things up a bit by replacing the basil with arugula and substituting pistachios for pine nuts.
- In a food processor, puree the pistachios, garlic, and cheese. Add arugula and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Grilled corn with cotija cheese (a hard, dry cheese named for the town in Mexico from whence it originates), mayonnaise, and a dusting of chili powder is popular street food in Mexico. One bite and it's easy to see why. Here's our version.
- In the bowl of a food processor, puree the egg yolks, garlic, and lemon juice. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in oil to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
- Prepare grill. When fire is medium-hot (you should not be able to hold your hand over the coals for more than 10 seconds), grill corn for about 5 minutes, rolling it to toast all sides and keep it from burning (C). Remove from grill and slather with aioli, then sprinkle with queso fresco and chili powder. Serve with lime wedges.
OLIVE RELISH
Steps:
- Cook 2 chopped onions in a skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until golden, 30 more minutes. Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives and 1/4 cup white wine; cook 10 more minutes.
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