Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - Michelle Wojtowicz [75]
Wild striped bass is an Atlantic line-caught fish that weighs ten to fifteen pounds. Its flesh is white, and once it has been scaled, the skin can be made crisp fairly easily. (Of course, it helps to have a 700ºF wood-burning oven.) We consider striped bass a very approachable fish because it’s widely available and mild in flavor. And we also appreciate the fact that this dish can be made from start to finish in less than twenty minutes.
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INGREDIENTS
4 striped bass fillets, about 6 ounces each, skin on
¼ cup rice bran oil or canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, sliced into thin coins
8 thyme sprigs
Serves 4
Preheat the broiler.
Score a 1 to 2-inch X on the skin of each fillet with a sharp knife. Brush both sides of the fillets with the oil, and season them generously with salt and pepper. Put the lemon slices and thyme sprigs in a roasting pan (to use as props under the striped bass). Lay the fillets, skin side up, on top of the lemon and thyme. Broil the fish for 12 to 15 minutes, until its skin becomes crispy but not black. When it’s cooked, the flesh will be flaky and mostly opaque (the center can still be a little translucent, though—you don’t want to overcook it). Remove the pan from the oven and let the fish rest for 3 minutes.
Gently transfer the fish fillets to a platter, and serve.
Photographs by Sara Remington
Photographs by Sara Remington
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Salmon Trout Wrapped in Prosciutto
Salmon trout is a pink-fleshed fish, abundant in the lakes and rivers of Idaho, that feeds on krill. After the fish is cleaned, you can stuff the cavity with almost anything. Salmon trout combines the best of both worlds: the beautiful coral color of salmon and the subtle taste of trout. If you have difficulty finding salmon trout, you can use rainbow or brown trout instead.
Trout is a fairly delicate fish, so wrapping it in prosciutto helps to keep it moist. Plus, the crispy prosciutto adds a rich flavor and delicious texture.
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INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
1 pound baby spinach
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 whole scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 small shallot, minced
4 whole salmon trout, scaled, heads and tails removed
Freshly ground black pepper
16 thin prosciutto slices
4 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 recipe Meyer lemon dressing
Serves 4
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Fill a medium bowl halfway with water and put about a dozen ice cubes in it. Set it aside.
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and blanch the spinach in the boiling water until it’s bright green, about 40 seconds. Immediately strain it, place it in the ice water, and let it cool for 2 minutes (the ice water will stop the spinach from overcooking and help it retain its color). Squeeze the spinach dry with a kitchen towel.
Combine the parsley, chives, scallions, and shallots in a small bowl. Open each fish like a book, season the cavity generously with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the herb mixture. Stuff the trout with the blanched spinach, and close the fish back up.
To create a prosciutto wrapper for each trout, take 4 slices prosciutto and arrange them into a large rectangle, with the edges overlapping by ½ inch to help keep the pieces together. You should end up with what looks like a rectangular patchwork quilt of ham. Take one of the stuffed fish and wrap it in the prosciutto as if you were rolling it tightly in a piece of newspaper. When you’re finished, the fish should be entirely wrapped in prosciutto. Smooth down the loose ends of prosciutto with your fingers to seal it. Repeat this process with each fish.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil into it, and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Put 2 fish in the skillet and cook until the prosciutto is crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip the fish over and cook until the prosciutto on the other side is