Striped Bass With Pipian Sauce Recipe Epicuriouscom

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.

ROASTED STRIPED BASS WITH RED PEPPER-SPANISH PAPRIKA SAUCE WITH BATTER FRIED POTATOES

Steps:

• Toast the paprika in a small skillet over medium heat until the aroma emerges and the color deepens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a blender, combine the paprika with the vinegar, honey, and red peppers and blend well. Slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the Bass: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make 4 diagonal cuts on each side of each fish, reaching all the way down to the bone. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place a large roasting pan on a burner over high heat. When pan is hot add oil. Heat oil to almost smoking. Place the fish in the roasting pan and sear until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. When fish is seared, place the roasting pan into the oven and roast for 12 to 14 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. Arrange the fish on a large serving platter with batter fried potatoes and drizzle with sauce.
• For the Batter Fried Potatoes: In a mixing bowl, combine the beer, egg, milk, flour, and melted butter and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the thyme to the beer batter. Place the batter and the seasoned flour in 2 separate bowls. Season the potato slices with salt and pepper to taste. In a saute pan over medium heat, heat the oil to 375 degrees F or until a drop of batter sizzles on contact. Dredge the potato slices in the flour, dip them in the batter, and fry in batches until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.

STRIPED BASS WITH PIPIAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine poblano chile, pumpkin seeds, broth, cilantro, and hierba santa in blender; puree until smooth.
• DO AHEAD Can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Soak corn husks in warm water until flexible, at least 1 hour. Drain; pat dry.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, fry corn tortillas until light golden but still soft and pliable, about 30 seconds per side for each. Transfer to paper towels; cool.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in clean large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook spinach until just wilted. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Transfer spinach to sieve. Using back of spoon, press on spinach to remove excess liquid.
• Place tortillas on work surface. Divide spinach and cheese among tortillas. Roll up tortillas, enclosing filling.
• Place 2 corn husks in roasting pan, overlapping slightly to form base for fish. Arrange 2 filled tortillas lengthwise and seam side down on corn husks. Place 1 fish fillet over tortillas; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Overlap remaining corn husks in same pan, using 2 for each base; top with filled tortillas and fish; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place 1 tablespoon butter atop each fillet. Cover pan with foil and bake until fish is just cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, transfer sauce to small saucepan. Bring to near boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add cream; season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust consistency, adding water by tablespoons to thin, if desired.
• Transfer 1 corn-husk base with fish and tortillas to each of 4 plates. Spoon warm sauce over fish. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
• *A fresh green chile, often called a pasilla, available at some supermarkets, Latin markets, and specialty foods stores.
• **An herb from Mexico available at Latin markets.
• ***Available at many supermarkets and at Latin markets.

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 WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler and adjust the rack so that it is within four inches of the heat source. Oil the surface of the broiling pan and place the fillets on top, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and cayenne and broil until firm and lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. (The fish is done when it is just about opaque all the way through, and offers no resistance to a thin-bladed knife.)
• Meanwhile, gently warm the sour cream over very low heat in a small pan, stirring occasionally. While it is heating, add some salt and cayenne. The sour cream need not get hot and it should certainly not boil; you just want to take the edge off its chill and thin it out a bit. Keep it warm while the fish finishes cooking.
• When the fish is done, stir the horseradish and snipped chives into the sour cream. Taste and add more horseradish, salt or cayenne if necessary. Serve the fillets with a bit of the sauce on each, garnished with a couple of chives.

STRIPED BASS WITH PESTO

Steps:

• To make the pesto, place basil, parsley, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly pour in the remaining olive oil. Scrape down sides of bowl, add salt, and process until smooth.
• Using a serrated knife, cut four 2-inch slits across each side of the fish. Place the fish in a 14-by-9-by-2-inch oval dish. It is fine for the tail to hang over the edge of the dish. Rub about half of the pesto all over the fish, into the slits and inside the cavity. Reserve the remaining pesto to serve with the fish, or pasta if serving, or keep for another use.
• Cover the dish tightly with microwave plastic wrap, making sure the tail is well covered. Cook at 100 percent power in a high-power oven for 11 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam. Remove from oven and uncover. Serve immediately, spooning the liquid over the fish.