Wood Roasted Striped Bass With Meyer Lemon And Olive Relish Recipes

ROASTED BROCCOLI STEAKS WITH OLIVE RELISH

Steps:

• Cut 2 heads of broccoli into steaks. Coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a preheated baking sheet at 425˚ F, flipping once, until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Combine 1/3 cup each chopped Castelvetrano olives and parsley, 1 tablespoon sliced Calabrian chiles, 1 sliced scallion, 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon olive oil; spoon over the broccoli.

MEYER-LEMON RELISH

Steps:

• Cut lemons lengthwise into eighths; remove seeds. Thinly slice crosswise into pieces (you should have about 1 1/2 cups).
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add fennel, onion, fennel seeds, and a large pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is softened and just beginning to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add lemons, honey, and 1/3 cup water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; cook until reduced to a jammy consistency and liquid is almost completely evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl; let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.

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.

LEMON AND OLIVE RELISH

Steps:

• Slice the top and bottom of both lemons with a paring knife. Set one of the flat sides on your work surface. From top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit, cut away peel and white pith. Trim off any remaining pith. Holding the lemon over a bowl, cut along both sides of each segment, staying close to the membrane, to release.
• Whisk together shallots, vinegar, and honey in a medium bowl. Coarsely chop lemon segments and add to the bowl with the shallot mixture, along with any lemon juice that has accumulated in the bowl. Stir in olives, capers, chives, and parsley; season with salt and pepper.

ROASTED WHOLE STRIPED BASS WITH SALMORIGLIO

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the herbs with the garlic and olive oil. Add the lemon zest and juice and stir gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500°. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
• Rinse the fish and pat dry. Trim off the fins.
• Scatter the herb stems, bay leaves and garlic on the baking sheet.
• Place a row of lemon slices down the center of pan; reserve one slice. Place half of the onion slices over the lemon slices.
• Place the fish over the onions and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the remaining onions on top of fish.
• Drizzle with olive oil and place the remaining slice of lemon on top of fish. Cover with foil and bake until the fish is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve the fish whole, with the salmoriglio sauce on the side.