Striped Bass With Roasted Shallot And Garlic Puree And Leeks Recipes

ROASTED STRIPED BASS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a medium saute pan and saute the onion and pancetta over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes, saffron, salt, pepper, white wine, and Pernod, if using, and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lay the fish in a 10-by-14-inch baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and mussels to the dish. Pour the sauce over the seafood and bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, until the fish and shrimp are cooked through and the mussels are open. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

PLANCHA GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH CREAMED KALE, BLANCHED GARLIC PUREE AND WHEAT BERRIES WITH TOMATO PUREE

Steps:

• For the wheat berries: Place the wheat berries in a saucepan. Cover with 4 quarts water and keep over low heat until the wheat berries soften and burst, about 2 hours.
• For the blanched garlic puree: In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic, clam stock and honey. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until the garlic softens, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, put the garlic into a food processor and puree, adding some of the stock as needed in 1 tablespoon increments. Taste and season as needed. If desired, pass the puree through a fine mesh strainer and set aside until ready to serve.
• For the striped bass: Put the fish into a container and add the parsley, lemon thyme, thyme, lemons and shallots. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• For the tomato puree: Place the olive oil, mustard, ginger, tomatoes, and lemon zest and juice into a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside until ready to serve.
• For the creamed kale: Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once heated, add the leeks, shallots and garlic and saute until slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced kale and toss to combine. Add the chicken stock and allow the kale to cook down slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and cook until reduced slightly, another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and place into a food processor. Process until pureed (or until desired consistency). Taste and season as needed. Keep warm until service.
• When ready to grill, preheat a griddle (la plancha) over medium-high heat and the oven to about 400 degrees F. Remove the fish from the marinade and sprinkle with salt. Heat the oil on the griddle, and when hot, place the fish on the griddle, skin-side down, and sear. Do not move the fish. Allow it to sear until the skin is crispy and allows you to remove it from the griddle, 4 to 5 minutes. Put into an oven-safe dish, skin-side up, and place into the oven to finish cooking through, another 3 to 5 minutes. Cook time will vary here depending upon the thickness of the fillet - keep an eye out.
• Drain the wheat berries of any water and toss with 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato puree and the chives and parsley. Taste and season if needed.
• For plating: Place 1 cherrystone clam either on a grill or on the griddle over high heat and cook until opened, about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spoon 1 tablespoon garlic puree on the plate. Top with the wheat berries, creamed kale and grilled striped bass. Serve the clam alongside. Garnish the plate with fried crispy kale, chile oil and micro greens if desired.

STRIPED BASS WITH ROASTED SHALLOT AND GARLIC PUREE AND LEEKS

Steps:

• For the fish, combine the peppers, sugar and rosemary. Use a sharp knife to make crosshatch marks on the skin of each fish fillet. Rub the spice mixture into the skin and marinate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place garlic and shallots in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Peel garlic and shallots and puree in a food processor with the heavy cream. Set aside.
• While garlic mixture roasts, make the leeks: Combine the water, sugar and lemon rind in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture turns a golden color. Have an oiled baking sheet ready. Stir the leeks into the caramel and immediately scrape onto the baking sheet. Cool. Separate the leeks and set aside.
• To make the vinaigrette, place all ingredients except the chives in a blender and blend until well combined. Stir in chives and set aside. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. When the pan is hot, add the fish, skin side down, and cook until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the fish and cook until the fish is firm to the touch, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Place even portions of the shallot and garlic puree in the center of 6 plates. Place the fish over the puree. Sprinkle with the caramelized leeks. Pour some of the vinaigrette on each plate in a circle around the fish. Serve immediately.

GARLIC-ROASTED STRIPED BASS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F and put a large shallow baking pan in middle of oven.
• Cut 3 deep slits (down to bone) crosswise on each side of fish and put fish on a tray. Rub fish inside and out with 2 tablespoons oil. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub all over skin of fish. Thinly slice all garlic and insert into slits and inside fish. Squeeze lemon juice over both sides of fish and season with salt and pepper.
• Quickly brush hot baking pan with remaining tablespoon oil and transfer fish to pan (the pan should be hot enough to sizzle). Roast fish in middle of oven until just cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes.
• To serve, remove top fillet from each fish by cutting through skin along top edge of backbone and along belly. Carefully slide a large metal spatula between backbone and fillet and invert onto a platter. Pull out backbone, starting from tail end, and discard. Transfer bottom fillets to platter.

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.

ROAST FILLET OF SEA BASS WITH PARSNIP PURéE & CARAMELISED GARLIC

Steps:

• For the crisps, peel parsnips and slice lengthways, using a mandolin to slice as thinly as possible. Deep-fry in hot oil until crisp. Drain on kitchen towels to absorb any excess fat and set aside in a dry place. Can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container.
• For the caramelised garlic, peel the shallots and garlic. Blanch the shallots in boiling salted water for 10 mins or until tender. Cut them in half if large and drain well. Put the garlic in a small saucepan of boiling salted water, bring to the boil for 2 mins, then drain and change the water. Repeat 4 times and drain well. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the shallots and garlic and cook until caramelised, shaking the pan so they don't stick. Can be made in the morning and reheated.
• For the purée, peel the parsnips and cut them into big chunks. Cook in boiling salted water until tender. Bring the milk to the boil and set aside. Drain the parsnips well, then put in a blender with the butter and some of the boiled milk and blend until totally smooth: the purée should be the consistency of double cream, so add more milk if necessary. Season and keep warm or make ahead and reheat.
• Scale and fillet the fish. Remove any pin bones (or ask your fishmonger to do this, but keep the bones for the sauce). Rinse under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Score the skin of the fish several times with a sharp knife to help prevent it from curling during cooking. Leave the bones (but not the heads) to soak in cold water.
• To make the sauce, heat a little olive oil in a pan and cook the shallots for about 5 mins until golden and soft. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Drain the fish bones, add to the pan and cook for 5-6 mins. Add the vinegar and let it come to the boil for 3 mins, then add the stock, season lightly and simmer for 30 mins, skimming at regular intervals. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, bring back to the boil and whisk in the butter to thicken and gloss the sauce.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan until smoking hot, add a few drops of oil, then add the fish, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper and press the fish down with a palette knife if it begins to curl up. Once the skin is well browned, turn the fillets over and cook the other side; the whole process should take no more than 5-6 mins, depending on the thickness of the fish. To serve, spoon the purée on to warmed plates, make a hollow in the centre, and fill with the caramelised garlic and shallots. Pour the sauce around the purée, place the fish on top and add a few parsnip crisps for garnish.