Article by Christine Budd
Tilefish with White Wine & Shallots
Ingredients:
1-2 lb. tilefish fillet (skin-on, scales-off)
2 tablespoons honey
2-3 large shallots, sliced into rings
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups white wine
Salt
White pepper
Olive oil
Directions:
Simmer some butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat and add your sliced shallots. While they’re browning, heat up a larger skillet on high and grease it lightly with olive oil. When it is good and hot, place your fillets skin-side-down on the skillet and let them cook for a few minutes (you want that fatty skin to get nice and crispy so don’t move or flip the fillets – leave them alone!). Toss the shallots so they brown all over and then add the white wine and butter, as well as a pinch of salt, and stir on low heat.
Once the flesh of the fish is white nearly all the way through, take a spatula and scrape the fillets off the pan and flip them over.
Turn off the heat, and quickly drizzle a spoonful of honey on the crispy brown skin of the fillets, then spread the honey evenly across the surface of each fillet. Sprinkle the fish with a pinch of salt and white pepper, then serve the fillets over a bed of rice, pasta, polenta or another grain of your choice. Spoon the shallots and wine/butter sauce over the fish and enjoy!
Smoked Fish Dip
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese spread, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons refrigerated prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, plus more for serving
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
8 ounces skinned and boned smoked oily fish (such as amberjack, Spanish mackerel, trout, or cobia)
Saltine crackers, for serving
Directions:
Whisk together mayonnaise, cream cheese spread, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire and Old Bay in a medium bowl.
Pulse smoked fish in a food processor until finely chopped, about 10 times. Add chopped fish to mayonnaise mixture, and fold to combine. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Season with additional Old Bay, lemon juice, and/or hot sauce if desired. Serve with saltine crackers and hot sauce.
Baked Flounder with Panko & Parmesan
Ingredients:
4 (4 oz.) flounder fillets
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch dried thyme
Ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large, shallow baking dish.
Lay flounder fillets in the prepared baking dish and brush with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine remaining 3 tablespoons butter with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, thyme, and pepper in a bowl; sprinkle over flounder and pat down lightly.
Bake in the preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer fillets to a plate with a thin spatula.
Restaurant Style Oysters Rockefeller
Ingredients:
24 oysters live in shell
4 tbsp. butter
2 shallots finely minced
10 oz. baby spinach
12 oz. heavy cream
½ cup Romano cheese
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Directions:
Rinse and clean the oysters
Carefully open the oysters and using a paring knife cut under the oyster releasing it from the shell. Place the open oysters on a sheet pan and refrigerate until needed.
In a large saute pan or wide bottom pot, melt the butter.
Add the shallots to the melted butter and saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not let them burn.
Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted.
**If you want to add white wine, now is the time to add the wine to the pan.
Add the lemon juice, heavy cream, Romano cheese and black pepper to the spinach. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Allow the mixture to continue cooking until the cream has reduced by half.
Place the finished mixture into the refrigerator. Allow the spinach mixture to completely cool and solidify.
Place one tablespoon of the spinach mixture on top of each oyster.
Top each finished oyster with the panko bread crumbs.
Place the oysters in a 375 degree F. oven for 15-20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
Serve the oysters on a bed of rock salt with lemon slices.
Fresh & Simple Crab Salad
Ingredients:
1 medium lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Serving options: lettuce leaves, halved avocados, or buttered, toasted hot dog buns
Directions:
Prepare the following, placing them in a large bowl: finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon until you have 1/2 teaspoon; juice the lemon until you have 1 teaspoon juice. Finely chop until you have 2 tablespoons chives. Add 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, and stir to combine.
Pick through 1 pound fresh jumbo lump crab meat for any shells, then add the crab meat to the dressing and stir until combined. Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed. Serve plain, or if desired, on a bed of lettuce, scooped into halved avocados, or in a buttered, toasted hot dog bun.
Crispy Fried Spanish Mackerel Nuggets
Ingredients:
2 Spanish mackerel fillets about 1 pound, cut into cubes approximately 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches square
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups peanut oil
Directions:
Place the buttermilk in a bowl and add the fish nuggets. Stir to make sure all are covered and let sit for five to ten minutes. Set aside.
Add the cornmeal, flour, creole seasoning, and salt to a pie plate or large shallow bowl. Mix well.
Take the nuggets out of the buttermilk and let any excess drip off. Place the fish in the cornmeal mixture and toss. Make sure that the nuggets are coated on all sides. Place on a wire rack and repeat until you have all of the fish coated.
Place a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. You want at least 1/2 inch of oil in the bottom.
Before adding the fish, test to make sure the oil is hot by dropping in a pinch of the cornmeal mixture. It should immediately start to sizzle. If it doesn’t, let the oil heat a few more minutes. The oil should ideally be at 375 degrees F. If the oil is too cool, your fish will be greasy if the oil is too hot, the crust will burn before the insides cook.
When the oil is hot, add the nuggets and make sure not to crowd them. You will most likely have to cook the fish in two batches.
Let the fish fry, turning as needed, for a total of two to three minutes or until the nuggets are golden brown and crispy on all sides.
Use a slotted spoon or fish turner to remove the nuggets from the oil. Place on a paper towel or wire rack to drain.
Repeat as needed until all of the fish is cooked. Serve immediately.
Killer Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into pieces
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and finely ground pepper
Crispy Pan Fried Fish:
2 thin white fish fillets about 4-5 oz. each, skinless boneless Salt and pepper
2 tbsp white flour
2 tbsp oil (I use canola)
Lemon wedges
Finely chopped parsley, optional
Directions:
Lemon Butter Sauce:
Place the butter in a light colored saucepan or small skillet over medium heat.
Melt butter then leave on the stove, whisking and stirring now and then. When the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 3 minutes, remove from stove immediately and pour into small bowl. Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir then taste when it has cooled slightly. Adjust lemon and salt to taste.
Set aside - it will stay pourable for 20 - 30 minutes.
Crispy Pan Fried Fish:
Pat fish dry using paper towels. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, then flour. Use fingers to spread flour. Turn and repeat. Shake excess flour off well, slapping between hands if necessary.
Heat oil in a non stick skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering and there are faint wisps of smoke, add fish. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until golden and crispy on the edges, then turn and cook the other side for 1 1/2 minutes (cook longer if you have thicker fillets).
Remove immediately onto serving plates. Drizzle each with about 1 tbsp. of sauce (avoid dark specks settled at the bottom of the bowl), garnish with parsley and serve with lemon on the side. §
