Striped Bass In Grape Leaves Recipes

OUR NEW FAVORITE STRIPED BASS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the center.
• Into a large, heavy pan with a lid (such as this one or this one), place the shallots, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, capers, wine, stock, thyme, half the salt, and half the pepper. Give it a stir.
• Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Pat striped bass fillets dry with paper towels.
• Carefully remove pan from oven and arrange filets in pan on top of sauce, nestling them in a bit. Sprinkle fish with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and dot with butter.
• Return pan to oven, uncovered. Bake until fish is just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with the basil.
• To serve, place about a cup of orzo into each of four wide, shallow bowls and top each with a piece of fish. Spoon some veggies and plenty of sauce overtop.

MY OWN FAMOUS STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the rice, onion, dill, and mint for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Pour in 1 quart of broth, reduce heat to low and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice is almost cooked. Stir in 1/2 of lemon juice and remove from heat.
• Take one leaf, shiny side down, and place 1 teaspoon of the rice mixture at the bottom (stem) end of the leaf. Fold both sides of the leaf towards the center, roll up from the broad bottom to the top, and place into a 4-quart pot. Repeat with all leaves, leaving no gaps as leaves are placed in pot (to prevent from opening while cooking). Sprinkle with remaining lemon juice and with olive oil.
• Pour chicken broth over all to cover grape leaves. Cover pot and simmer for about 1 hour (do not boil, because this will make the stuffing burst out of the leaves). Remove from heat, remove cover and let cool for 1/2 hour. Transfer to serving dish and serve.

STRIPED BASS IN GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Blanch grape leaves in boiling water with half the lemon juice. Remove and drain.
• Place the couscous in a bowl, and pour 1 cup boiling water over it. Set aside, covered, for about 5 minutes. Stir the grains, breaking up any lumps with your fingers.
• Meanwhile, char the peppers over a barbecue grill or under a broiler. When they are warm enough to handle, run under cold water, and remove the blackened skin with a paring knife. Halve, and scrape out seeds. Cut each pepper half into 2 large triangles.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a saute pan over medium flame. Place the peppers, skin side down, in the pan, and cook gently for 15 minutes, or until tender.
• Add to the couscous bowl the lemon zest, cilantro, mint, parsley, scallions, orange zest, 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt to taste.
• Arrange the grape leaves, vein side up, in 1 layer, overlapping slightly to form a single sheet large enough to encase the fish. Spoon the couscous down the center of the grape leaves. Salt and pepper the fillet. Lay the fillet, skin side up, over the couscous. Gently encase the fillet and couscous with the grape leaves.
• Brush 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a roasting pan large enough to hold the fish. Gently turn fish over, and place in the pan. Pour the wine over the fish, and add the 2 bay leaves to the pan. Cover with foil. Cook for 15 minutes, and baste under the foil with pan liquids. Remove foil, and cook another 10 minutes.
• While fish is baking, make vinaigrette by combining in a bowl the shallots, olives, vinegar, rosemary, orange juice and remaining lemon juice. Whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil. Season to taste.
• Remove fish to a platter. Let rest for 5 minutes. To serve, cut 8 portions crosswise with a sharp knife. Arrange each portion in the center of a plate. Garnish with pepper triangles. Spoon vinaigrette over, and crumble some feta cheese over the top.

STRIPED BASS EN ESCABECHE

Steps:

• In a shallow, oven proof dish, combine the water, lime juice, and salt. Turn the slices of fish in the mixture and leave to marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Turn over once halfway through the marinating time. In a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder, combine the peppercorns, coriander and cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Grind the spices to a powder. Add the garlic and pound to a paste with the spices. In a large saucepan, combine the spicegarlic paste with the vinegar, water, oregano, bay leaves, toasted whole cloves of garlic, salt, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and 1 1/4 cups water to the pan, and again bring it up to a boil. Set the escabeche aside, covered. Shake the fish slices dry. In a large skillet, heat the safflower oil until very hot. Fry the slices of bass
• for about 3 minutes on each side, then place on a serving platter and pour the hot escabeche mixture over them. Cover the dish and let marinate for 2 hours, at room temperature. When ready to serve, flake the fish and serve with some of the escabeche mixture.

STRIPED BASS WITH TOMATO AND BASIL CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make cream sauce: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add scallion and saute until tender. Add tomato and basil. Add chardonnay and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add heavy cream, reduce the heat, and simmer until the desired thickness is reached. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• After you have started the sauce, bake the fillet: place butter, chardonnay, and verjus in a baking pan. Season fish with salt and pepper and place in pan. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fish is cooked through; the fish should be opaque throughout and a knife should slide in easily.
• Place fillets on a serving plate and spoon over the sauce. Serve with a fresh crusty baguette and a crisp green salad.

STRIPED BASS PLAKI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse fish well under cool running water. Thoroughly pat dry. Lightly coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with olive oil; place fish in center. Generously season fish with salt and pepper; sprinkle a large pinch of oregano inside cavity and outside. Stuff cavity with half of the lemon slices, 4 sprigs thyme, 4 sprigs rosemary, bay leaves, and 3 garlic cloves.
• Cover fish with overlapping slices of red onion; top with remaining lemon slices. Scatter tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, sweet onion, olives, remaining 2 sprigs thyme, remaining 2 sprigs rosemary, and remaining 13 garlic cloves around fish. Sprinkle vegetables with assorted herb mixture and capers.
• Generously season fish with salt, pepper, and remaining oregano. Add wine to roasting pan and cover with parchment paper-lined foil, pressing edges well to seal. Transfer to oven and cook, until fish is flakey and cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Carefully transfer fish to a large serving platter, along with vegetables, discarding herb sprigs, if desired. Whisk garlic puree or butter into pan juices until melted; drizzle over and around fish. Squeeze fish with lemon wedges; serve immediately.

STRIPED BASS WITH LIME BROTH

Steps:

• Toast coriander, cardamom, and curry paste in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until spices are fragrant and curry paste begins to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Add cilantro stems, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until flavors meld, 8-10 minutes.
• Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof measuring cup; discard solids. Let cool, then stir in lime juice; season with kosher salt and more lime juice, if desired.
• Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from grapefruit; discard. Working over a small bowl, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl; discard membranes. Repeat with lime.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season fish with salt and pepper. Cook fillets, skin side down, 1 minute, then firmly press down with a fish spatula to ensure even browning and crispiness. Continue cooking until skin is golden brown and fish is mostly cooked through, about 4 minutes; carefully turn fish and sauté until just cooked through, about 1 minute longer.
• Divide lime broth and fish among shallow bowls. Scatter citrus segments, cilantro leaves, and mint and basil over; drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt.
• DO AHEAD: Broth can be made 1 day ahead (do not add lime juice). Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and add lime juice just before serving.