Rockfish Striped Bass With Imperial Sauce Recipes

CRISPY WHOLE STRIPED BASS WITH RED TOMATILLO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat about 2 inches of oil in 2 high-sided skillets over medium heat to 360 degrees F.
• Whisk together flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in enough water to make a batter the consistency of a crepe batter. When the oil has reached 360 degrees, season each fish well on the inside and outside and dip into the batter, allowing any excess to run off. Carefully place 2 whole fish in each pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve each fish on a large plate, ladle with some of the Red Tomatillo Sauce, and serve.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place tomatillos in a small roasting pan, toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast until soft, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Heat remaining olive oil in medium saucepan, add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and habanero and cook for 1 minute. Add the chile powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatillos, stir, and cook for 10 minute. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, add the vinegar, honey, and cilantro, and process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

PAN-SEARED ROCKFISH WITH LEMON BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Prepare the lemon beurre blanc sauce by combining the lemon juice, wine and cream in a 1-quart saucepan and simmering on medium heat until reduced by half the volume. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge fish fillets in flour and saute in the hot skillet until golden brown. Remove fish from heat and let rest. When the sauce has thickened, slowly whisk in the butter. Place fish on platter, and drizzle sauce around and over the fish to serve.

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.

STRIPED BASS IN AGRODOLCE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12- to 13-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallots, stirring occasionally, until browned and just tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add wine, vinegar, water, sugar, raisins, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and bay leaf, then briskly simmer, stirring occasionally, until shallots are very tender and liquid is thick and syrupy, 40 to 45 minutes. (If liquid is reduced before shallots are tender, add 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer.)
• Pat fish dry, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold fillets in half, skinned side in.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 4 folded fillets, turning over once, until deep golden, 4 to 6 minutes total. Put cooked fish (still folded) on top of sauce in heavy skillet. Wipe out nonstick skillet and sauté remaining 4 fillets in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner, transferring to sauce.
• Cook, partially covered, over moderate heat until fish is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

STRIPED BASS WITH FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Place 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add figs and continue to sauté another minute or two, until they are warmed through and just start to soften. Sprinkle with cloves. Add saba and continue cooking until the syrup just coats the bottom of the pan. Stir in wine. Remove figs and as many shallots as you can from the pan, draining well.
• Increase heat to medium-high and cook sauce until wine has reduced by half. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter bit by bit, swirling it in. Cook a minute or so more, until sauce starts to become syrupy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
• Heat a broiler. Place rack about 4 inches from the source of heat. Dry fish. Dust skin side of bass or bottom side of halibut with flour. Flip fillet and season top surface well with salt and pepper. Heat remaining butter on medium-high in a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. Place fish, floured side down, in skillet and sear 2 minutes. Brush top surface of fish with some of the sauce and place fish under the broiler. Broil about 7 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from heat. Transfer fish to a warm platter.
• Return figs and shallots to the sauce, heat on medium a minute or so, then spoon sauce with figs around the fish on the platter. Serve.

GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• Start a grill or preheat a broiler. Combine fruit with a sprinkle of salt, chili flakes or cayenne, lime juice and a tablespoon of olive oil. Rub both sides of fish lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Grill or broil fish, skin side down. If grill has a cover, use it, and grill 8 to 12 minutes, or until fish is done. Remove carefully with a large spatula.
• If grill does not have a cover, brush top of fish with oil after 4 or 5 minutes and turn it carefully with a large spatula. Continue to cook, skin side up, until fish is done; remove carefully.
• To broil, put fish in a nonstick broiling pan and adjust the oven rack so top of fillet is no more than 4 inches from the heat source. Broil without turning, until top is nicely browned and fish is done. If fish appears to be browning too quickly, move the rack a couple of inches farther from the heat.
• Brush fish once more with oil; garnish salsa with cilantro, then serve fish and salsa together.