Striped Bass With Caviar And Lemon Zest Food

CAESAR-ROASTED FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean.) Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
• For the Caesar sauce, place the garlic, parsley, anchovy paste, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the garlic is minced. Add the mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse to make a smooth sauce.
• Place the fish on the pan and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Set aside one third of the sauce to serve with the cooked fish. Spread the fish on one side with half the remaining sauce, turn the fish, and spread the remaining sauce on the second side. Sprinkle with the scallions and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
• Roast the fish for 10 to 12 minutes, until the center is just barely cooked. Cover the fish with aluminum foil and allow to rest on the pan for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saute pan until very hot, add the capers, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until they start to pop and are a little crisp. Serve the fish hot with the lemon wedges, frizzled capers, and the reserved Caesar sauce.

LEMON CAPELLINI WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• Drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the capellini and cook al dente. Drain quickly, leaving a little water with the capellini. Quickly toss the capellini with the melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Place one serving of pasta on each plate and top with a large dollop of fresh caviar. Garnish with grated lemon zest. Serve immediately.

BUTTER PARMESAN STRIPED BASS

Steps:

• 1. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper on both sides and set aside.
• 2. Place just the butter, in shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate all the fish.
• 3. Place the dish with the butter in a 375 degree oven til the butter browns.
• 4. Then dip both sides of the fish in this browned butter and bake for 10 minutes, uncovered, on middle rack.
• 5. Sprinkle with lemon zest, wine, parmesan cheese and paprika. Broil on top rack at 500 degrees for 2-3 minutes or til parmesan cheese starts to bubble and brown.
• 6. To serve spoon butter/wine sauce over fish.

LEMON CAPELLINI

Steps:

• Add 2 tablespoons of salt to a large pot of boiling water. Add the capellini and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until just al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat a large (12-inch) saute pan, add the butter, and heat until the butter is melted. Add the zest and juice of the 2 lemons. Add 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and swirl the pan to combine.
• As soon as the pasta is cooked, lift the pasta out of the water with tongs, allowing most but not all of the water to drain back into the pot, and add all the pasta to the sauce. Cook for one minute, adding pasta water to the sauce with a ladle just enough to keep the pasta moist.
• Transfer the pasta to a serving platter or individual plates. Garnish with more lemon zest, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Serve hot.

BROWN BUTTER STRIPED BASS WITH LIME AND CILANTRO AIOLI

Steps:

• Set up a grill for cooking with direct and indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Make the aioli: In a mixing bowl whisk together the mayo, cilantro, garlic, lime zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (If serving the fish later in the day, let the aioli chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.)
• Pat the fish dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt. Brush a cast-iron pan with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Place the fish, skin-side down, in the pan and place the pan on the direct heat side of the grill. Cook until the skin is crisp and has released from the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the fish and add the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter. Move the pan to the indirect heat side of the grill. Let the butter melt and lightly brown, then baste the fish for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and continue basting for another minute. Close the lid of the grill and cook until the fish is cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Remove from the grill and spoon the remaining brown butter in the pan over the fish. Serve with the aioli, cilantro and lime wedges.

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.

BAKED SEA BASS WITH LEMON CAPER DRESSING

Steps:

• To make the dressing, mix the oil with the lemon zest and juice, capers, mustard, some seasoning and 1 tbsp water. Don't add the parsley yet (unless serving straight away) as the acid in the lemon will fade the colour if they are left together for too long.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and put the fish, skin-side up, on top. Brush the skin with oil and sprinkle with some flaky salt. Bake for 7 mins or until the flesh flakes when tested with a knife. Arrange the fish on warm serving plates, spoon over the dressing and scatter with extra parsley leaves, if you like.

STRIPED BASS WITH HERBS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the parsley, chives, chervil, half of the lemon juice, zest, and the oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• In a large skillet, combine water, wine, remaining lemon juice, the shallot, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Season fish with salt and pepper. Add to simmering liquid, cover, and cook until opaque, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove fish from pan and place on serving plates. Discard poaching liquid. Spoon herb mixture over fish. Serve immediately with salad.

STRIPED BASS WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO SCAMPI

Steps:

• To cook the bass:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the fish liberally with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the lemon zest and juice. Once the oil begins to shimmer, place the fillets skin-side-down in the pan and let them cook, without moving them, until the skin is crisp and golden brown, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Give a light push to loosen the skin from the pan. Add the thyme sprigs to the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove fish from the oven and transfer to paper towels.
• To make the scampi:
• In a large skillet, heat the garlic oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and fennel seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and capers and cook until the celery has softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and cook until it is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar, lemon zest and juice, tomatoes, and basil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to incorporate the flavors and heat the tomatoes through.
• Serve the bass fillets topped with the tomato scampi.

GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH LEMON AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Make three 1/2-inch-deep diagonal slits in skin on each side of fish. Brush fish generously inside and out with garlic oil. Sprinkle fish inside and out with coarse salt. Stuff slits with half of fennel fronds. Place remaining fennel fronds inside fish. Place fish in grilling basket. Top fish with lemon slices, overlapping slightly. Close grilling basket (fish and lemon slices should be secured by basket). Grill fish until cooked through, about 10 minutes per side. Remove fish with lemon slices from basket and carefully transfer to platter. Serve.