Article by Christine Budd
Easy Lemon-Butter Swordfish
Ingredients:
2 8- ounce swordfish steaks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup chicken stock or dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh mixed herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, or sage) minced
1 clove garlic peeled and minced
1 lemon one half juiced, one half sliced into rounds
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Add the butter to the skillet with the swordfish and cook until melted and frothy. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, herbs, and minced garlic. Reduce heat to medium and cook until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
Once the fish reaches 130ºF, remove the fillets from the skillet, transfer them to a plate, and rest for 5 minutes.
Taste the sauce and season once more to your preferences. Once the sauce is thick enough that it lightly coats the back of a spoon, turn off the heat.
Spoon the sauce over the swordfish. Garnish with two slices of lemon and serve.
Mediterranean Roasted Tautog
Ingredients:
1 lb tautog (or sub for another firm white fish like halibut, swordfish or striped bass)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 large firm tomatoes chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup broth
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400.
Heat olive oil in a large oven safe skillet, then add onion, saute for 3 minutes or until the onion turns golden in color. Next add in the tomatoes, garlic, coriander, paprika, cumin, capers, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the raisins. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce cooks down, then add in the broth to loosen up the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pat the fish fillets dry and season with salt and pepper. Tuck the fish into the sauce and spoon some of the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle the fish with the lemon zest and pour the lemon juice over the fish.
Transfer to the oven and let the fish cook 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Lobster Bisque
Ingredients:
Bisque:
4 lobster tails
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon, plus more to serve
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup dry white wine, or sherry
4 cups lobster stock (recipe as follows) or seafood or fish stock
3/4 - 1 cup heavy cream
Garlic Butter Lobster Meat:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper and cayenne, to taste
Directions:
Lobster Stock:
Fill a large pot with 5 cups of water. Stir in 1 teaspoon sea salt and bring to a boil.
Add the lobster tails, cover with lid and let boil for 5 minutes, or until bright red.
Remove lobster tails, reserving the liquid stock. When the lobsters have cooled slightly, remove the meat from the shells, reserving the meat and any liquid that comes out of the shells.
Return lobster shells back to the water in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for a further 15 minutes to draw as much flavor out of the shells as possible.
While stock is simmering, chop the meat into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate.
Bisque:
Heat butter and oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat, sweat the onions, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with the bouillon powder, salt and pepper/s. Stir in 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Mix in tomato paste, cook for a further minute to coat vegetables. Sprinkle over flour and cook, while stirring occasionally for a further 2 minutes.
Pour in wine, simmer and let reduce to half. Stir in lobster stock, reduce heat and gently simmer while stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened slightly and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
Take off the heat, transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, purée with an immersion blender until very smooth. Return to medium-low heat and stir in heavy cream.
Garlic Butter Lobster Meat:
Melt butter a skillet pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in chopped lobster meat, season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Lightly sauté for 1 minute while stirring occasionally, until lobster meat is just warmed through.
To Serve Lobster Bisque:
Mix 3/4 of the lobster meat into the bisque. Pour into individual serving bowls. Top each bowl with remaining lobster meat and extra tarragon.
Notes:
To Remover Lobster Meat:
Place lobster tail on your counter with the back of the tail facing up. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut down through the center to the end of the tail. With your thumbs and fingers, open the shell to loosen it from the meat, opening the meat away from the shell side walls. Pull the meat up from the bottom of the shell to separate the shell from the meat underneath it.
Alternatively, use both hands to press down on tail to crack shell. Hold tail, shell facing down, and pull back on both sides of shell to crack open and remove meat.
To Blend:
Puree right in the pot with an immersion blender or pour into a blender. If using a blender, you may need to blend in batches of two or three to prevent pressure from building up inside the jug from the heat. Make sure you take the center piece out of the lid to let the steam escape.
Black Sea Bass Piccata Over Lemon Rice
Ingredients:
Lemon Rice:
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lemon
1 ½ cups raw white rice
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Fish :
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
2-pounds black sea bass filets, skinned (or other white fish like flounder, catfish, etc…)
Piccata Sauce:
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 teaspoons corn starch
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup capers
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pats
Directions:
To make the rice, melt the butter in a large non-stick sauce pan. Add the onion and the lemon, squeezing all of the juice out and leaving the rind (seeds removed) in the pot during cooking. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion begins to brown and add the rice and cook 2 minutes more stirring frequently. Add the salt, pepper, stock, and water to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove the lemon rind from the rice. Stir parsley in just before serving.
To make the fish, melt the butter and add oil in a large frying pan. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and combine the panko and Italian breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. Dip the fillets in egg and then press into the breadcrumb mixture. Cook in the butter until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side until a fork slides in and out of the center of the filets easily. Remove the fillets to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 325-degree oven.
In the same pan add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and white wine, stirring to scrape up an brown bits. Let boil over medium high heat until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes. Whisk the corn starch into water and add to the pan, stirring to let sauce thicken, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, add the capers, and whisk the cold butter into the sauce until melted and the sauce is silky.
Serve the fish over the rice and top with sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley.
NOTE: This dish can also be made with chicken breast. Just pound boneless breast to ½” thickness and follow the instructions above!
Garlic Oysters -A Restaurant Classic
Ingredients:
12 fresh oysters opened before use
2 tbsp garlic fine chop
4 ounces butter
1 tsp Italian Parsley fine chop
¼ tsp granulated onion
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Romano cheese grated
Directions:
In a heavy saucepan, place butter and garlic and simmer over low heat for 7-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add all the seasonings except the Romano cheese.
Place garlic butter into a small bowl and refrigerate until butter is semi-solid, mixing occasionally to keep the garlic well-blended throughout the mixture.
Clean the oysters under running cold water to remove all of the dirt. Discard any open oysters as they are dead and not safe to eat.
Find the shortest thick bladed screwdriver you have and wash it thoroughly.
Lay the oyster flat in your hand and hold it in place. Insert the tip of the screwdriver into the “hinge” at the back of the oyster and rotate the handle to pry open the oyster. At this point, you’ll need a pairing knife to cut the muscle away from the shell by sliding the knife horizontally along the inside top of the shell. Run the knife under and over to but release the oyster from the shell. Then turn the oyster over in the shell.
***Do Not Dump Out the Liquid in the Oyster!!
Place the opened oysters on a cutting board or baking sheet until they’re all open and ready to fill with the garlic butter.
Spoon a small amount of the garlic butter over each oyster on a half shell, then sprinkle with Romano cheese.
Place oysters on a baking sheet, then into a preheated 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.
Place any of the butter that has drained from the oysters back over them before serving.
Quick Easy Fish Stew
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh chopped tomato OR 1 (14-ounce) can whole or crushed tomatoes with their juices
2 teaspoons tomato paste, optional
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice (or 1 cup shellfish stock)
1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon blanc)
1 1/2 pounds firm white fish fillets such as halibut, cod, red snapper, or sea bass, cut into 2-inch pieces
Pinch dried oregano
Pinch dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce , or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Directions:
Saute the aromatics in olive oil:
Heat olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato and tomato paste, and gently cook for 10 more minutes or so.
Finish the soup:
Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish. Bring to a simmer, and let simmer until the fish is cooked through and easily flakes apart, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add seasoning — salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and Tabasco. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the stew:
Ladle into individual bowls and serve.
Great served with crusty bread for dipping in the fish stew broth. §
