Rockfish Striped Bass With Imperial Sauce Recipes

GRILLED ROCKFISH (STRIPED BASS)

Steps:

• For this recipe, you will remove the fish's head and butterfly the fish's body, leaving the scales on.
• Start by laying the fish on its side. Using a chef's knife, place the blade where the head meets the gills. Slice off the head making sure to apply firm pressure so that the knife goes through the fish's spine. Discard the head.
• Butterfly the fish. Using a sharp fillet knife, start from the bottom side of the fish just before the tail and run the knife all the way along the fish's body to wear the head was cut. Open up the body and remove the guts with your hands and discard.
• Rinse the fish under cold water to help wash out the cavity. Blot dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper, to taste. The fish is now ready for the grill.
• Prepare the grill for direct heat and preheat to 350 to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pot. Whisk together with the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Keep warm until needed.
• When the grill is ready, place the fish flesh side down onto a well-oiled rack over glowing coals for 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the fish and continue to grill the fish, scale side down.
• Baste the fish with the warm basting sauce every 3 to 5 minutes.
• Grill the fish until the meat is cooked through at the thickest part and the meat begins to flake. Grilling time will vary depending on the size of your fish. A 2 to 3-pound fish usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes more after flipping onto the scale side.

ROCKFISH (STRIPED BASS) WITH IMPERIAL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil sprayed with PAM Remove any skin from fish and place skin side down in pan.
• Mix first 4 ingredients together in bowl and spread on top of fish
• Sprinkle Panko crumbs on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake 20-30 minutes till flaky. Finish under Lo broiler for 1-2 minutes till nicely browned.

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.