Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [131]
INGREDIENTS:
2 Spanish mackerel (about 2 pounds each), scaled and cleaned, with gills removed
2¼ cups Fennel Brine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium beets, roasted, boiled, grilled, or canned; finely chopped
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill or fennel fronds
3 tablespoons fresh goat cheese
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse the fish and put in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag with the brine, press out the air, and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the beets and apple and sauté until the apple is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and dill and heat through, about 1 minute. Cool the mixture to room temperature and stir in the goat cheese.
Meanwhile light a grill for direct medium heat, about 375°F.
Remove the fish from the brine and pat dry. Discard the brine. Stuff the cavities of the fish with the cooled beet and apple mixture and secure with string, if needed.
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Grill the fish until the skin is crisp and the fish looks opaque on the surface, but is still filmy and moist in the middle (130°F on an instant-read thermometer), 5 to 7 minutes per side. Remove the fish to a serving platter and serve with the lime wedges.
SMALL RICH, COLORED WHOLE FISH
Grilled Anchovies Stuffed with Dukkah and Drenched in Olive Oil
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Anchovies have an image problem, largely because most people have never tasted them fresh. Canned anchovies are as much like fresh anchovies as canned tuna is like a slice of tuna sashimi–in other words, there is no comparison. Fresh anchovies have a delicate texture and pleasant, sweet rich flavor. The overt saltiness and pungent aroma associated with anchovies happens during the preservation process and is not characteristic of the fresh fish in any way. Anchovy populations are abundant, so there is no danger of overfishing, and they are high in omega-3 fatty acids (three times higher than salmon). The one problem you might have is finding them. Their season is usually in the spring, but availability has more to do with demand than supply. If you ask for them at your local fish market, the store probably can get them. You can also make this recipe with any small oily fish–sardines, herring, mackerel, or sprats. Anchovies are tiny with feathery rib bones that are edible. We like to fill the body cavities with spicy, nutty Egyptian dukkah. They are great right off the grill, but also make a perfect pick-up food, served at room temperature the next day.
INGREDIENTS:
34 large anchovies (about 1½ ounces each), cleaned and heads removed
½ cup Dukkah
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Coarse sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Light a grill for direct medium-high heat, 400 to 450°F
Remove the backbones from the fish: make a slit down one side of the spine along the cavity of the fish, and then just lift it out with your fingers. Don’t worry about removing the small rib bones–they are edible.
Mix the dukkah with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Drizzle the inside of the fish with half the lime juice and put a scant tablespoon of dukkah down the center of each fish; close the fish to enclose the dukkah. Coat with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Brush the grill grate and coat liberally with oil. Put the fish on the grill, close the lid, and cook until the fish looks opaque on the surface, but is still