Wood Roasted Striped Bass With Meyer Lemon And Olive Relish Food

SALT-BAKED FISH WITH LEMON-OLIVE RELISH

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Rinse the fish inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with pepper. Finely chop 2 tablespoons parsley and set aside. Divide the remaining parsley between the fish cavities.
• Toast the fennel seeds in a dry medium skillet over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Grind the toasted fennel seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle; transfer all but 1 tablespoon to an extra-large bowl. Add the salt and lemon zest, then stir in the egg whites until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
• Pat a thin layer of the salt mixture, slightly larger than the shape of the fish, on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Put the fish on top of each salt pile, then cover completely with the remaining salt mixture, following the shape of the fish and patting down the salt mixture. Before the fish is fully encased, mark the thickest part of each fish behind the neck with a paring knife and make a small hole in the salt mixture (this is where you?ll insert a thermometer).
• Bake the fish until the crusts are golden and a thermometer inserted into the marked spots registers 140 degrees F, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the relish: Mix the olives with the olive oil, lemon juice, reserved 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon ground fennel, 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
• To remove the salt, crack the crusts all the way around the fish with a paring knife; discard the crusts. Slide a spatula under each end of the fish and transfer to a platter or cutting board. To serve, remove the top fillet of each fish with a butter knife or spoon; discard the skin. Pull off the bone; discard the bone and head. Remove the skin from the bottom fillet. Serve with the lemon-olive relish.

STRIPED BASS AND PRESERVED LEMON DRESSING WITH GRILLED CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Season the skin side of the filet with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof saute pan to medium high. When the oil is hot, add the fish, skin side down, and saute for one minute until a slight crust forms and the filet isn't sticking to the pan. Place the saute pan in the hot oven for 6 to 8 minutes until the flesh is firm and cooked through. Remove the saute pan from the oven and place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the butter, garlic, shallot, rosemary and thyme and baste the fish with the sauce. Remove the filet to a paper towel. Place a dollop of Preserved Lemon Dressing on a plate and place 3 to 4 Grilled Carrots on top of the dressing. Arrange the filet to the side of the carrots and garnish with the dill.
• Place the ingredients in a blender and blitz until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Cook's Note: To make homemade preserved lemons, submerge 6 Meyer lemons, quartered, in a quart of salt and a quart of sugar and water for 30 days.
• Peel the baby carrots and place them in a bowl. Add the salt, pepper and olive oil and toss together. Arrange the carrots on a baking sheet set over a sheet pan and broil them under a pre-heated salamander on high for 4 minutes, turning it down to low for a further 4 minutes. They are done when they are fork tender with a slight bite and have a nice roasted color.

SEABASS BAKED IN A BAG

Steps:

• Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale your fish. Lay out a piece of tin foil and fold in half. Place the sea bass on top of the foil and score the flesh about 2 inches apart on both sides. Rub plenty of salt and pepper into the scores. Lay out the fennel on the foil and place fish on top of the fennel and push to one side of the foil. Cover liberally with the basil, red onion and bay leaves, making sure you tuck some into the belly. Drizzle over plenty of olive oil, lemon juice and knobs of butter. Fold over the left hand half of the foil and seal the 3 sides to gently hug the fish. Place on tray and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for approximately 16 minutes (8 minutes per pound). Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 3 to 4 minutes without opening the bag.;

ROASTED WILD STRIPED BASS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove stalks from fennel bulbs; reserve bulbs for another use. Remove feathery fronds from stalks; and reserve for garnish. Using a sharp knife, halve stalks lengthwise. Arrange stalks in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan; pour wine over stalks. Lay fish fillets on top; drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake until fish is just cooked through and opaque throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Divide fish among serving plates, discarding fennel stalks. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.

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.