Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [124]
Make the caper butter and when adding the wine, also add the honey. Stir in the almonds along with the capers. Keep warm over low heat. Brush the fish basket and coat with oil. Put the fish in the hot basket and put the basket directly over the heat. Grill until the fish looks opaque on the surface, but is still filmy and moist in the center (about 130°F on an instant-read thermometer), 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Remove to a platter or plates and pour on the butter sauce.
LEAN, FIRM WHOLE WHITE FISH
Whole Sea Bass Grilled in Wasabi Crust
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Whole fish grilled over an open flame develops a crackled skin and concentrated moisture that is the essence of succulence. Unfortunately, the increasing popularity of fish has not translated into greater availability of whole fish. Almost everything you see is already filleted. This is a shame because the flesh of fish cooked whole on the bone has more flavor and stays moister during cooking. If you don’t mind serving whole fish with the head on, shop around for a fish market that sells whole fish. And even if you don’t want to bring a fish head to the table, you’ll get better flavor by cooking the whole fish, and then removing the head just before serving. Slashing the flesh in its thicker parts helps the fish grill more evenly and gets any seasoning closer to the meat, where it does the most good. In this recipe, those slashes deliver the bracing flavors of wasabi, lemon zest, garlic, and ginger on luscious sea bass (black bass). This firm, lean white fish runs anywhere from 1 to 3 pounds. Most are sold at 1½ to 2 pounds, which is enough for two people. To serve four to six, we prefer grilling two to three fish of similar size, but if you are serving more people, you would do best to buy bigger fish.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons Mustard-Wasabi Rub
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 whole sea bass (about 1½ pounds each), scaled, fins removed, head left on
2 tablespoons canola oil
⅓ cup pickled (sushi) ginger, finely chopped
3 scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon soy sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Light a grill for direct medium heat, about 375°F. Preheat a grill tray or fish basket directly over the heat.
Mix the wasabi rub and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
Scrape the dull side of a knife against the skin of the fish, running from tail to head, to remove excess moisture and fine scales. Cut three or four diagonal slashes through the flesh of the fish on each side, down to the bone. Rub the fish inside and out with the oil, then season inside and out with the wasabi rub.
Combine the sushi ginger, scallions, garlic, and soy sauce and set aside.
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Oil the grill tray or fish basket liberally and put the fish on the tray or in the basket; put on the grill directly over the heat. Cover and cook until the fish is browned on both sides, but is still filmy and moist in the center (about 130°F internal temperature), about 15 minutes, turning once. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay around 375°F.
Serve the fish with the pickled ginger mixture.
KNOW-HOW: CARVING A WHOLE FISH
A whole cooked fish makes an impressive presentation but it can be intimidating to carve. Here’s the most elegant method: Remove the top fillet by inserting the side of a spatula just behind the head. When you feel bone, slide the spatula along the backbone toward the tail. Use the long side of the spatula to lift the entire fillet off the backbone; or for very long fish, cut into manageable pieces and lift them one by one. Next, grab the tail with one hand and insert the spatula beneath the tail to cut the fillet from the base of the tail. Lift the tail and backbone off the bottom fillet toward the head, cutting the fillet from the head. Discard the fish carcass–from head to tail–and serve the bottom fillet.
RICH, COLORED FISH STEAK
Chilean Sea Bass with Grilled Lemon “Tartar