Grilled Striped Bass With Summer Vegetables And Couscous Vinaigrette Food

GRILLED STRIPED BASS

Steps:

• Combine oil, lemon juice, thyme or oregano, garlic, and pepper in a large shallow bowl. Add fish to marinade, and turn to coat; cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator 30 minutes.
• Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove fish from marinade, letting excess drip off. Place on grill, skin side down, and season with salt. Grill until skin is lightly browned and starting to crisp. Carefully turn fillets, and cook until well browned and cooked through (center will be opaque), 5 to 6 minutes. Garnish with chives and lemon wedges, if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.

WRAPPED AND GRILLED WHOLE STRIPED BASS WITH SALSA

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Whisk to combine. Using a sharp knife, score several diagonal lines along the length of the fish, down to spine, on either side. Marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator. After marinating, preheat grill or broiler. Meanwhile, prepare salsa: Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatoes, garlic, chilies and onion on a baking tray. Tuck the garlic underneath the vegetables to avoid blackening.
• Broil, turning frequently, until well charred, 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Transfer roasted ingredients to a food processor fitted with the metal blade or blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil and add the avocado. Set aside. Blanch greens in a large pot of boiling, salted water, just until the water returns to a boil. Refresh with iced water and drain. On a large baking sheet, arrange greens, overlapping to form 2 rectangles as long as each fish and more than twice as wide. Place each fish in the middle of each rectangle and wrap with greens so that only the head and tail are exposed. The dampness will make them cling.
• Transfer fish to grill, reserving marinade. Cook 7 to 8 minutes per side, until greens, head and tail blacken. It will take 2 spatulas, one at the head and one at the tail, to turn fish. Don't be concerned about greens sticking. To test for doneness, try to pull out a dorsal fin from the top of the fish. If it slides out easily, the fish is done. To serve, place whole fish on a serving platter. Using a dull knife and soup spoon, scrape off any remaining skin and remove fins. Cut along spine first and serve the top fillet. Lift tail, insert knife between bones and flesh, and run it along length. All (or most) bones should easily lift out. Repeat for second fish. Serve with the salsa.

OUTDOOR GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH VEGETABLE TIAN AND BASIL CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch rounds. Liberally coat the eggplant in herb oil and season with salt and black pepper. Spread the eggplant out in 1 layer in a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes or until they are fully cooked and soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced onion, fennel, and thyme and allow the mixture to cook while stirring frequently. Once the onions and fennel have wilted, about 5 minutes, add the sugar and continue to cook until all excess liquid has dissolved and the mixture begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 30 minutes. Add the golden raisins. Deglaze the pan with the Champagne vinegar and mix well. Mix in the toasted pine nuts and remove any stems of the thyme. Let cool.
• Place the roasted eggplant rings on sheet pan spaced equally apart. Top off each ring with the onion and fennel mixture, forming a flat base for the zucchini, yellow squash and tomato slices. Alternate the zucchini, yellow squash and tomato slices around the top of the onion and fennel mixture by layering each piece on top of one another in a circle, tucking under the last piece to form a full, cohesive circle. Top each tian with herb oil, salt and black pepper. Place in the oven to heat for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a pot over medium heat, heat the basil cream and check for seasoning.
• Preheat a grill to high.
• Working with the skin side up, use a sharp knife and cut on the bias, to make an incision in the center of each fillet. The incision should not go all the way through to the other side, but should create a pocket. Stuff each incision with a healthy pinch of the fennel tops. Season each fillet with salt and pepper and coat them with homemade herb oil. Grill over high heat. Each fillet will take approximately 6 to 8 minutes to cook (3 to 4 minutes on each side).
• Using a spatula, carefully place a vegetable tian on each plate. Pour the basil cream around each tian. Place 1 of the striped ref="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/bass/index.html" class="crosslink" debug="2184 2196">bass fillets on each plate. Garnish the plate with the remaining fennel tops.
• Place the rosemary and the olive oil in a blender and cover. Blend on high speed until the roasemary has been ground into small pieces. Add the tarragon and thyme and continue blending until all the herbs have been broken down into small pieces. Pour into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
• In a saucepot, add the white wine and garlic cloves. Over medium heat, allow the wine to reduce by half. Add the cream and salt and bring to a boil. Add the basil to the cream and allow it to cook for 1 minute, making sure it is fully immersed so no browning occurs. In a blender, blend the cream mixture in a medium sized batches on high until the mixture is bright green (about 2 or 3 minutes).
• Immediately pour the cream into a container resting in ice to chill. Stir constantly. Continue this process until all the cream is blended and cooled rapidly.

GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES AND COUSCOUS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For vegetables and couscous: Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub cut sides of eggplant with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with cumin. Season with salt and pepper and place in baking pan, cut sides down; bake for 30 minutes or until eggplant is browned and cooked through. Remove and let sit until cool enough to handle. Spoon out flesh onto cutting board and roughly chop; transfer to a medium-sized bowl. While eggplant is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set up an ice bath by combining 5 cups ice cubes and 7 cups cold water in a large bowl. Blanch green beans in boiling water until bright green, about 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and cool in the ice bath at least 1 minute (until cool in center). Repeat with wax beans. Cook corn for 15 seconds, then cool 1 minute in ice bath. Drain and blot dry all vegetables. Add tomatoes and toss together gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook couscous according to package instructions; mix with eggplant and stir in 2 tbsp oil, red wine vinegar, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For fish: Preheat grill or broiler. Brush fish on both sides with remaining oil. Season skin side with salt and pepper. Starting with skin side down, grill or broil fish 4 minutes. Season flesh side with salt and pepper; turn and grill or broil about 4 minutes longer or until cooked through.
• To serve: Spoon equal amounts of vegetables and couscous onto 4 plates and top with grilled fish. Serve hot.