Striped Bass With Heirloom Tomato Scampi Recipes

STRIPED BASS WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO SCAMPI

Steps:

• To cook the bass:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the fish liberally with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the lemon zest and juice. Once the oil begins to shimmer, place the fillets skin-side-down in the pan and let them cook, without moving them, until the skin is crisp and golden brown, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Give a light push to loosen the skin from the pan. Add the thyme sprigs to the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove fish from the oven and transfer to paper towels.
• To make the scampi:
• In a large skillet, heat the garlic oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and fennel seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and capers and cook until the celery has softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and cook until it is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar, lemon zest and juice, tomatoes, and basil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to incorporate the flavors and heat the tomatoes through.
• Serve the bass fillets topped with the tomato scampi.

WILD STRIPED BASS WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO VINAIGRETTE AND PROVENCAL OLIVE POTATOES

Steps:

• In medium bowl combine vinegar and salt; whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in olive oil, adding more if necessary, until mixture has emulsified. Fold in tomatoes and thyme, season with pepper; set aside
• In small food processor, puree green olives, garlic and oil. Remove and set aside. In medium pan cover potatoes with cold water, bring to a boil. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes until tender, drain well. Transfer to mixer bowl, process using paddle. While mixing, drizzle in oil mixture until smooth. Fold in nicoise olives, season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season with salt and pepper . In large saute pan, heat oil until smoking. Place fillets in pan, flesh side down, sear for 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat, place in oven, roasting fish until almost opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven. Add butter to pan, turn fillets over, cooking skin side of fish on medium heat for 1 minute. Turn fish over again, remove from pan. Place on paper towel to drain. Place small amount of potatoes on warm serving plate. Place fillet on top, spoon vinaigrette over fish. Garnish with thyme or basil.

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.

ROASTED STRIPED BASS WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES, AND OIL-CURED OLIVES

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Boil wine in medium saucepan until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
• Generously brush 18x12x1-inch baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange fennel slices in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Top with onion slices in single layer. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle 4 tablespoons oil over vegetables.
• Rinse fish inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle fish inside and out with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lightly dust outside of fish with flour. Pour enough olive oil into extra-large skillet to reach depth of 1/4 inch; heat over medium-high heat until oil is very hot. Working with 1 fish at a time, add fish to skillet and fry until golden crust forms on skin, about 3 minutes per side. Carefully place fish atop vegetables on baking sheet. Gently stuff cavity of each fish with 2 crushed garlic cloves, then 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Pour reserved wine over vegetables on baking sheet.
• Roast fish uncovered until vegetables begin to soften, 35 to 40 minutes. Scatter tomato halves and olives around fish; bake until fish is just cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer fish to large platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Increase oven temperature to 475°F. Continue to bake vegetables uncovered until tender and tomatoes are very soft and beginning to color in spots, about 15 minutes longer.
• Arrange vegetable mixture around fish on platter. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle chopped fennel fronds over fish and serve.

WHOLE STRIPED BASS WITH FENNEL AND TOMATOES IN A ROASTING BAG

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scrape off any scales adhering to the fish and refrigerate.
• Cut the feathery green fronds off the fennel and reserve. Cut off the stalks at the top of the bulb and discard. Use a vegetable peeler to remove any rough, stringy fiber from the outside of the bulb and then cut the fennel into 3 wedges. Place in a non-aluminum pan with the wine, coriander seeds, olive oil and salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the wedges soften but still retain some crunch, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, rinse and dry the fish, season it with salt and pepper and slide it into a roasting bag. (If the fish is too large you can cut off its head, but avoid this if possible as a headless fish makes a much less dramatic presentation.)
• Put the fennel, its cooking liquid and the reserved fennel fronds in the bag with the fish. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and add them to the bag. Push down on the bag to squeeze out excess air and seal with string.
• Carefully place the bag in an oval baking dish or shallow pan (it's easiest to bake the fish in something you can take straight to the table) and bake for about 15 minutes per inch of thickness (about 30 minutes for a 2-inch-thick fish).
• To serve, cut the bag open with a knife or scissors and serve pieces of fish surrounded by fennel, chopped tomatoes and a spoonful of the cooking juices.