Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [122]
Put the catfish in a large baking dish. Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme into the rub and sprinkle the rub all over the fish. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Light a grill for direct medium-high heat, about 425°F. Preheat a fish basket directly over the heat.
Brush the fish basket and coat with oil. Put the olive oil in a shallow dish and dip each fillet in the oil, letting the excess drip back into the dish. Put the oiled fillets in the hot fish basket and put the basket directly over the heat. Cover the grill and cook until the fish looks opaque on the surface, but is still filmy and moist in the center (130°F on an instant-read thermometer), 5 to 6 minutes per side.
Remove to a platter or plates and sprinkle with the praline crumble. Serve with the lemon wedges.
LEAN, FIRM WHITE FISH FILLETS
Grilled Grouper Fillets with Zhug
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
The country of Yemen borders the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Aden. In coastal areas, Yemeni people eat a fair amount of fish like snapper and grouper. Topped with zhug, Yemen’s signature chile paste, sweet fish like grouper take on a whole new taste. The chiles awaken your taste buds; the parsley and cilantro freshen your palate; and the aromas of caraway, cardamom, and cumin set your mind to dreaming. Look for skinless grouper fillets no more than ¾ inch thick.
INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless grouper fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), at least ½ inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup Zhug
DIRECTIONS:
Light a grill for direct medium-high heat, about 425°F.
Coat the grouper all over with the olive oil and season lightly with the salt and pepper.
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Grill the grouper directly over the heat until the fish looks opaque on the surface, but is still filmy and moist in the center (130°F on an instant-read thermometer), 4 to 6 minutes per side. After turning the fish on the grill, slather the top side (the just-grilled side) with half of the zhug.
Remove to a platter or plates and carefully invert so the uncoated side is up. Slather with the remaining zhug and let stand for a few minutes before serving.
LEAN, FIRM WHITE FISH FILLETS
Grilled Ocean Perch with Parsley-Walnut Sauce
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Ocean perch is one of those fish given wildly conflicting names. When it comes from the North Atlantic Ocean, perch goes by the name redfish, but in the Southern states, it’s known as ocean perch, to distinguish it from the South’s beloved redfish (which is actually red drum). When perch is from the Pacific, it is commonly known as rockfish because it is a member of the rockfish family, but Pacific perch is sometimes mistakenly called red snapper. True, the skin is red or pink like red snapper, but the flesh of ocean perch is more delicate and the taste is milder. Just remember this: if it’s called redfish or rockfish, it will still be good eating. For grilling, use ocean perch fillets at least ½ inch thick. Thinner ones tend to get sacrificed to the flame gods. You can also grill whole ocean perch, gutted and scaled with the fins removed, but the head left on. Here we serve fillets with a rich, toasty parsley-walnut sauce made with browned butter, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice; it would also be delicious drizzled over the crackling skin of whole grilled fish.
INGREDIENTS:
4 ocean perch fillets (at least 6 ounces each), at least ½ inch thick
2 tablespoons