Brown Butter Striped Bass With Lime And Cilantro Aioli Recipes

PAPILLOTE OF STRIPED BASS WITH HERBS AND QUICK AIOLI

Steps:

• Arrange 2 shelves in the oven at a fair distance from each other. The foil-enveloped fish will need some room to puff and expand as it cooks. Better to rearrange the oven racks while the oven is not yet hot. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake the potato until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Spread about a 2-foot sheet of foil on a flat surface with 1/2 of it hanging off the counter in front of you. Put the fish, skin side down, horizontally, onto the foil near the end of the counter leaving about 1 1/2-inches of foil on both sides. Season the flesh side of the fish with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle with some dill, parsley and a few lemon slices. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons oil on top of the fish. Fold the foil back over the fish and fold in the sides of the foil twice. Leaving some air in the package, roll the top of the foil down twice gathering the top to make a window , leaving about 6 to 8 inches between the fish and the top. It should look like a small package, with all the sides sealed. There should be enough room left around the fish to allow for the steam to build up as it cooks, creating an inflated envelope around the fish. Repeat with remaining 3 pieces of fish.
• Put the garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the garlic is finely chopped. Add the egg yolks and pulse to blend. When the potato is completely cooked and still warm, put it on a flat surface and split it open lengthwise. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the flesh, totaling about 3 to 4 tablespoons, and add it to the processor. Pulse to combine. With the processor running, slowly add the 1/2 cup of olive oil, through the opening at the top, in a steady stream. Add the sugar and the lime juice and pulse to incorporate. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Using 2 baking sheets, put 2 of the foil envelopes on each sheet and add a little water to the bottom of the sheet pan. This water will create additional steam in the oven as the fish cooks. Put the baking sheets on 2 shelves of the oven and bake, undisturbed, until the envelopes begin to puff, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to 4 dinner plates. To serve, break open the foil and drizzle with the aioli.

STRIPED BASS IN SALT DOME

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cover the bottom of a baking sheet large enough to hold the fish with parchment paper.
• Rinse fish inside and out with cold water and drain. Dry with paper towels. Stuff body cavity with herbs and citrus, saving a few lemon slices for garnish. Set aside.
• Pour 1 box of salt into a large bowl, add egg whites and water, then the second box of salt. Use your hands to work mixture to a mortar-like consistency. Lay down a 1/2-inch thick bed for the fish to lay on with a 1-inch clearance on all sides. Lay the fish on this bed and pile the remainder of the salt mortar on top. Work into a smooth dome completely encasing the fish. (Don't worry if the head or tail poke out a little.)
• Cook approximately 35 minutes. Check for doneness by pushing the probe of an instant read thermometer through the salt into the fish. When temperature reaches 130 degrees, remove from oven, and rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Open the fish at the table by hitting the dome several times with a small hammer and lifting off the slabs of salt. Brush away any stray salt. Gently pull out dorsal (back) fin. Using a fish knife or serrated pie server, make a single incision all the way down the back of the fish and around the gill plate. Then lift the skin off working from the head to the tail. Remove meat from top side of fish, going down one side of the spine then the other. Grasp the tail and remove the skeleton, (it should come up intact). The meat revealed below will slide right off the skin.
• Sprinkle meat with a little virgin oil and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

FRIED POTATOES WITH SPICY AIOLI

Steps:

• For the potatoes: To a small saucepan, add the potatoes and cool water to cover. Salt the water generously and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to15 minutes. Remove from the water and let cool. While the potatoes are cooling, make the spicy aioli.
• For the spicy aioli: In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Sriracha, paprika, garlic lime zest and juice and a pinch salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
• To finish the potatoes: Heat a large cast-iron skillet with your favorite fat until it reaches 350 degrees F. The fat should come 1 to 2 inches up the side of the pan.
• With the heel of your hand, smash the potatoes so they are relatively flat but still holding together. Add the potatoes to the fat and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the fat with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the aioli. Add a spoonful of the hot fat, stir to coat and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the scallions and serve immediately. I guarantee you will never look at a French fry the same way again.