Crisp Skinned Tilefish Over Provencal Cabbage Food

PROVENCAL SALMON

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil, sherry vinegar, basil, shallots, tomatoes, lemon rind, chives, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let marinate overnight, unrefrigerated.
• Cut carrots, leek and celery into julienne. Cook them in 1 cup strained court bouillon until tender but still crisp. Drain and reserve.
• Wrap each salmon fillet in foil and poach in court bouillon for approximately 5 minutes. To check the degree of doneness, remove 1 package from the liquid and unwrap. The center should still be slightly pink. To serve, divide julienne of vegetables among serving plates. Arrange salmon fillets in the center of the julienne and top each fillet with a tablespoon of the sauce pistou. Serve remaining sauce separately.
• Slice carrots, celery and leek into 1/4 inch pieces. Place in the bottom of a saucepan.
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes.
• Yield: Makes about 2 quarts

CRISP-SKINNED TILEFISH OVER PROVENCAL CABBAGE

Steps:

• Turn the heat to medium-high under a heavy skillet (you'll note I used a big cast-iron pan, which I like). Add the oil and let it get hot; dredge the fillets on their skin side in the cornmeal or flour, then cook on one side only until nicely crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it wilts. Add the tomatoes, porcini, olives, and capers; stir, then add the liquid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, the tomatoes falling apart, the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms tender -- 10 minutes or so, maybe 15. Add a little more liquid if necessary.
• Rest the fillets on top of the cooked vegetables, over medium-heat and cook, undisturbed, until they're cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes more -- a thin-bladed knife will pierce their thickest parts immediately. Serve attractively, fish over or surrounded by vegetables. Garnish with parsley or any other green herb that you have on hand, and like.

CRISPY-SKIN SALMON PROVENCAL WITH CHARRED RED CABBAGE SALAD

Steps:

• Brush 1 tablespoon Dijon all over the flesh side of each piece of salmon, then sprinkle each with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence.
• Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Place the salmon in the pan skin-side down and let it sizzle until the skin is golden brown and crispy, 6 to 7 minutes. Gently flip with a fish spatula. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and let the salmon cook until the flesh is golden brown and the internal temperature is 130 degrees F, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice, then remove from the heat. Serve the salmon on top of the Charred Cabbage Salad. Spoon the lemon pan sauce over the salmon and garnish with the crispy onions.
• Preheat the grill or a grill pan for cooking at high heat.
• Drizzle the cabbage and onion liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the cabbage and onion until the cabbage is slightly wilted and super charred and the onion is soft and charred, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and set aside to cool until cool enough to handle. Remove the stems of the cabbage and roughly chop the cabbage; transfer to a medium bowl. Roughly chop the onion and add to the bowl along with the olives, red pepper, orange segments and juice, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss to combine and adjust seasoning if necessary.

CRISP ROASTED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Cut the duck skin and fat into small pieces and put in a saucepan with 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the fat is melted and the skin is brown and crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out the duck-skin cracklings, drain on paper towels and season with salt. Reserve the duck fat.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat 3 tablespoons duck fat (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the cabbage in batches, about 1 minute per side; transfer to a baking dish. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons duck fat (or olive oil), season with salt and toss. Roast until crisp on top, about 15 minutes, then turn the wedges and roast until the other side is crisp, about 8 more minutes. Sprinkle with the duck-skin cracklings and roast 2 more minutes. Drizzle with the vinegar.

PAN-SEARED TILEFISH WITH GARLIC, HERBS AND LEMON

Steps:

• Remove any remaining pin bones in the fish, pat dry, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter has begun to foam, lay fish in pan. Add green garlic or scallions and a pinch of salt. Without disturbing the fish, tilt the pan toward you; using a spoon, ladle green garlic butter over fish. Continue basting fish for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Using a spatula, gently flip fish. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 2 minutes.
• Uncover pan, add herbs and continue basting fish with butter until it is just cooked through, another minute or two longer.
• Transfer fish to a serving platter or individual plates, pour pan sauce over the top, and pour lemon juice over everything. Season with more salt and black pepper if needed. Serve immediately.