Pan Fried Stuffed Fish Skin Food

PAN FRIED FISH

Steps:

• Heat a heavy pan over medium high heat.
• Season fish on meat side with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge fish in flour and shake off excess. When pan is good and hot, add Canola oil followed immediately by 1 tablespoon butter. As soon as foaming subsides, place fish in pan with the skin side down. Jiggle pan for the first 10 seconds to keep the fish from sticking. Cook until golden crust forms on meat. Carefully turn fish away from you and again jiggle pan for the first few seconds. Cook until skin turns golden brown. Remove to a warm plate.
• Pour out the cooking fat, add remaining butter and quickly fry the capers. Remove pan from the heat, add lemon juice to pan and swirl. Pour sauce over the fish and serve.

BAYOU STUFFED CATFISH WITH CAJUN BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Mix together crabmeat, cornbread, spinach, pine nuts, mustard and salt and pepper. Lay fish skin side up and top with 2 1/2 ounces stuffing. Roll tightly and refrigerate until set. Dredge in seasoned flour, dip in buttermilk, and roll through fish fry mix. Deep fry at 350 degrees F until light brown. Remove to sheet pan and finish in a preheated 350 degree F oven until temperature of 150 degrees F. Top with 1 1/2 ounces cajun beurre blanc and garnish with lemon.
• In heavy saucepan, add all ingredients except butter and cream. Reduce the liquid over low heat. Add heavy cream and reduce by half. Slowly add butter, whipping continuously-alternating pan on and off flame. Strain and add seasoning.

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.

SPICED PAN-FRIED FISH FILLETS

Steps:

• Combine the rice flour and spices in a wide bowl.
• Add the fish and rub the spice mixture all over the fish.
• Heat the olive all in a large frying pan.
• Cook fish in a single layer, until browned and cooked as desired.
• You may need to cook the fish in batches.