Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [215]
Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their husks and into a large skillet or sauté pan. Whisk in the wine until fairly smooth, then scoop the parsnips out of the roasting pan and into the sauce. Stir in the sage, salt, and pepper.
Set the skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the fillets, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until tender, until the fish can be flaked with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer the fish fillets and parsnips to four serving plates. Raise the heat under the sauce and bring it to a boil. Cook until reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes. Pour over the fish and parsnips.
Variations: Substitute carrots for the parsnips.
Substitute vegetable broth for the white wine—or use a combination of ½ cup wine and ½ cup broth.
For a richer sauce, whisk 1 or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter into the reducing sauce in step 5.
Thick White-Fleshed Fish Fillets with Avocado Salad and Warm Mustard Vinaigrette
This is the fanciest dish in this section, worthy of dinner-party fare. Don’t salt the avocado salad; it will weep too much. Instead, let the vinaigrette carry the salt. You can also use bass fillets for this dish—if so, roast them skin side down. Makes 4 servings
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Four 4-to 6-ounce thick white-fleshed fish fillets, such as grouper or halibut
¼ cup olive oil
20 cherry tomatoes, quartered
The supremes from 2 large navel oranges
1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy or coarse-ground mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Whisk the flour and pepper on a serving plate or in a shallow soup bowl.
Pat the fillets dry with paper towels; dredge them in the flour mixture, coating evenly but shaking off the excess.
Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, then slip the fillets into the pan. Shake the pan several times to make sure they haven’t stuck, then place it in the oven and roast until the thick, opaque layers can be easily pulled apart with a fork, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes, orange supremes, avocado, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Divide among four serving plates, mounding to the center.
When the fillets are done, transfer them to the plates, setting them atop the avocado salad.
Set the same skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape up any browned bits in the pan, then whisk in the vinegar, mustard, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then spoon over the fillets.
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Other Fish Fillets: Trout, Salmon, Sea Bass, Monkfish, Mackerel, Black Cod, Sardines, and Skate
These all require special preparation: some must be roasted with the skin on, some are easily overpowered by complex sauces, and some are just unique.
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Trout Fillets with a Pecan-Mustard Crust
Trout is more fragile and sweeter than other fish. The skin is almost always left on, partly to keep the meat from falling apart and partly to impart flavor. Here, the skin crisps nicely, thanks to the ground nuts and this double technique: first on the stove, then in the oven. Grind the nuts to the same consistency as the bread crumbs. For a grilled or roasted whole trout,. Makes 4 servings
½ cup toasted pecan pieces, finely ground
¼ cup plain dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon stemmed thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Four 6-to 8-ounce skin-on gold, red, river, brook, or rainbow trout fillets
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons canola oil
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Mix the ground pecans, bread