Fish Flambe With Fennel Recipes

FISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut lime in half; cut four slices from one half for garnish. Finely grate enough peel from remaining half to measure 3/4 teaspoon; squeeze juice from lime half. Set aside., In a dry small skillet over medium heat, toast fennel seeds until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Cool. Crush seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle., In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add sliced fennel and salt; cover and boil for 6-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and pat dry., In a large nonstick skillet, saute fennel in 2 teaspoons oil for 3 minutes or until fennel is lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the pan and set aside. , In the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook fillets in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. , Drizzle with lime juice; sprinkle with lime peel and crushed fennel seeds. Serve with sauteed fennel. Garnish with fennel fronds and lime slices.,

FISH FLAMBE WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, fennel, thyme, parsley, wine and ouzo. Made 2 slanting incisions on each side of fish. Coat fish with marinade.
• Broil fish over medium-high coals, using 10 minutes per inch as a time measurement, turning once. Place on hot platter.
• Heat Cognac and flame, then pour over fish. Serve with natural juices on platter.

WHOLE FISH IN FENNEL

Steps:

• Slice stems and fronds from fennel bulbs and lay on a work surface.
• Rub fish inside and out with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tuck some fennel stems in fish cavity. Cover fish with remaining fennel stems and fronds. Use butcher's cord to tie fennel to fish, enclosing it. Rub fennel with another tablespoon olive oil. Trim fennel bulbs and slice 1/2-inch thick.
• Heat grill to very hot and oil grates. Place fish in fennel on grill, preferably at least 8 inches from coals or fire. Grill about 15 minutes on one side. Fennel will char.
• While fish grills, place sliced bulbs in a saucepan of boiling, salted water and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain well on paper towel.
• Turn fish and grill about 15 minutes on other side, or until flesh in cavity looks opaque and can easily be separated from the bone when poked with a knife. Remove to a platter and snip off cords.
• Rub fennel slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place on grill. Sear on each side. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the juice of 1/2 lemon. Bone fish and serve, with lemon wedges, additional oil for drizzling and seared fennel alongside.

FISH GRILLED ON FENNEL OR DILL

Steps:

• Preheat a charcoal or gas grill (for broiling instructions, see the variation below). The fire should be quite hot and the grill rack should be about 4 inches from the heat source.
• When the grill is ready, make a bed of the fennel or dill stalks. Sprinkle the fish lightly with salt and pepper, and lay it (skin side down, if there is a skin side) directly onto the fennel or dill. Close the grill if possible, and cook, without turning, until the fish is done; it will be just about opaque all the way through and offer no resistance to a thin-bladed knife in about 10 minutes.
• While the fish is cooking, mince or grind the fennel seeds. Cut about 1 inch off each end of the lemon, and juice those pieces; slice the remaining lemon thinly.
• When the fish is done, remove it from the grill, leaving as much of the stalks behind as possible (some of the burned fronds will adhere to the fish; they are fine to eat in tiny quantities). Sprinkle the fish with the fennel or dill seeds, then decorate it with the lemon slices. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, and serve.

ROASTED FISH WITH BLOOD ORANGE AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil; have ready a second rimmed baking sheet.
• Trim the tops from the fennel bulbs and coarsely chop 1/4 cup of the fronds; discard the stalks. Remove the outer layers of the fennel and halve each bulb through the root end. Thinly slice each bulb. Thinly slice one of the limes and quarter the other.
• Pat each fish dry and coat each lightly with a teaspoon oil. Generously season fish inside and outside with salt and pepper. Transfer fish to the foil-lined baking sheet. Stuff each cavity with slices of lime and orange, fennel fronds and garlic.
• Toss sliced fennel with 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread on the remaining baking sheet. Transfer fish and fennel to the oven; roast fennel, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Bake fish until it is just opaque, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve fish drizzled with more olive oil and squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Serve with fennel on top or alongside.

STRIPED BASS OR MAHI MAHI WITH FENNEL, LEEKS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Lay the fish fillets in a baking dish or on a sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and refrigerate while you make the sauce.
• In a large lidded sauté pan that will accommodate all of the fish in one layer (see note below), heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the leeks. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and add the garlic and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute, and add the fennel. Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook, stirring often, until the fennel is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover the pan, add the tomatoes, salt to taste, and the pepper and cook uncovered, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the mixture is thick and fragrant. Stir in the dill and 1 tablespoon of the parsley.
• Lay the fish over the fennel mixture. (Note: If the pan isn't big enough, divide the mixture between two pans.) Cover and place over medium heat. Simmer 10 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and pulls apart easily with a fork. Sprinkle on the remaining parsley and serve the sauce and fish together, with rice or potatoes.

FENNEL-GRILLED BASS FLAMBEED WITH PERNOD / LOUP DE MER AU FENOUIL FLAMBE'

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the grill to medium-high.2. Rinse the fish, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Make 3 diagonal slashes, to the bone, in each side of each fish. Season the fish, inside and out (including the side slashes), with salt and pepper. Place 2 dried fennel stalks in each cavity. Brush the fish on both sides with the oil and season again with salt and pepper.3. When ready to cook, arrange 6 fennel stalks on a serving platter and set aside. Place the remaining fennel stalks directly on the hot coals and oil the grill grate. If you're worried about the fish sticking, use hinged fish grilling baskets otherwise, place both fish directly on the hot grate and grill until the skin on the first side is dark and crisp and the flesh is cooked through to the bone on that side, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn each fish carefully with a long spatula and cook on the second side until the flesh breaks into firm flakes when pressed with a finger, another 10 to 15 minutes. During the last 2 or so minutes of cooking, warm the Pernod in a heavy saucepan at the side of the grill don't let it boil, or even get too warm to touch.4. Using the spatula, transfer each fish carefully to the fennel stalknlined platter. Pour the warmed Pernod over the fish and then, making sure your hair is tied back and your sleeves are rolled up, avert your face and ignite the liqueur carefully with a long match. Carefully bring the flaming fish to the table, then, when the flame dies out, fillet the fish and serve at once, with lemon wedges.Serves 4Note: Loup de mer is a long, slender, dark gray fish with a fine-flavored, tender white flesh. While it corresponds most closely to North American sea bass, snapper, striped bass, or sea trout could be substituted here.Fennel-Grilled Bass Flambéed with Pernod IIPrepare as described in the main recipe, substituting a bulb of fresh fennel, trimmed, for the dried stalks. Cut the fennel into thin lengthwise slices. Place a few slices in the cavity of each fish and toss a few strips on the coals before grilling the fish. Brush the remaining fennel slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then grill, along with the fish, until tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side, turning with tongs. Arrange the grilled fennel slices on the serving platter and place the grilled fish on top. Flambé as described above and serve. (The advantage of this method is that you can eat the grilled fennel.)