Crispy Black Bass With Pepper Tomato And Ginger Nage Food

BLACK SEA BASS CRUSTED WITH SPICES, TOMATO, AND VEGETABLE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Saute sliced mushrooms in butter until caramelized. Add honey, soy, lemon juice, and vinegar. Add water and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Strain, pressing out all juice.
• Make brown butter with salted butter. Place pan in ice water to stop cooking. Whisk into mushroom broth.
• Cook fingerling potato, peel and cut into thirds. Set aside.
• Cut fish with skin into 3 pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Dip in cream, then spice mixture, then flour. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan and saute until crisp.
• Heat vinaigrette with potatoes, fava beans, and onions. Add tomatoes and herbs last. Pour into bowl and add fish.
• Toast hazelnuts, almonds, coriander, sesame seeds, and peppercorns in a hot pan and grind.

WHOLE BLACK BASS WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Put baking dish in roasting pan.
• Rinse fish and pat dry, then rub inside and out with salt. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with scallion strips (white and pale green) and ginger.
• Stir together soy sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved, then pour over fish. Add enough boiling-hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up side of baking dish. Oil a large sheet of heavy-duty foil, then tent foil (oiled side down) over fish and tightly seal around roasting pan. Carefully transfer roasting pan to oven and bake until fish is just cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.
• While fish bakes, cut enough scallion greens diagonally into very thin slices to measure 1/2 cup (reserve remainder for another use).
• Just before serving, remove foil from fish and sprinkle with scallion greens. Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes instantly. Pour oil around side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl oil, coating side, and heat until smoking. Remove from heat and immediately pour oil over scallion greens and fish.

BLACK BASS POACHED WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Place the wine, vinegar, coarsely chopped vegetables, coriander and fennel seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf in a saucepan. Add water, bring to a boil, season with salt, and simmer about a half hour. Remove from heat, add the dill, basil and mint, and steep the herbs for an hour. Strain the broth and transfer to a deep saute pan large enough to hold the fish in one layer.
• Bring the broth to a simmer, add the scallions, tomato and ginger, cook about a minute and remove with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid. Peel, seed and dice the tomato. Cut the ginger slices julienne style. Set the vegetables aside.
• With a sharp knife, lightly score the skin side of the fillets in a crisscross pattern to prevent them from curling. Bring the broth back to a very gentle simmer, place the fish in the broth skin side down and poach until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to soup plates.
• Bring the broth to a simmer again, spoon some over the fish and top the fish with the scallions, diced tomato, ginger and lemon pieces. Garnish with the coriander and serve. Freeze any leftover liquid for future use.