Charred Striped Bass Niçoise Recipes

Steps:

• Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a heavy 10-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Place the fillets in the pan, skin side down (if applicable), laying them down away from your body. If fillets have skin, press down gently with a spatula for about 20 seconds to prevent curling.
• Lower heat to medium and let sizzle until fish is golden and caramelized around edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip fillets and add butter and thyme to pan. Tilt pan slightly to let the melted butter pool at one end. Use a spoon to baste the fish with the pooled butter. Continue basting until golden all over and cooked through, 45 to 90 seconds more, depending on the thickness of your fish. Serve immediately with chopped parsley (if using) and lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Make the red-pepper relish: Combine red peppers, onion, garlic, ginger and habanero pepper in a food processor. Pulse into a coarsely chopped purée. (You can also finely mince the ingredients with a sharp knife.)
• In a shallow medium sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add the turmeric, and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the relish and crushed tomato, and bring up to a simmer. Allow the relish to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to a paste and turns a shade darker in color, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt to taste.
• Prepare the fish: Set the oven to broil. Using a sharp knife, score the skin side of the fillets by making 2 parallel cuts across the width. Be careful not to cut all the way through the flesh. Place the fillets on a large rimmed baking sheet, and season both sides with salt. Using a spoon or gloved hands, spread 1 cup of the relish generously over both sides of each fillet, working the marinade into the cuts.
• Scatter the chard around the edges of the fillets on the pan, tucking a few pieces under the fish. (You want a nice char on the fish, so don't cover the fillets with chard pieces.) Drizzle the fillets and chard with oil, and season with more salt. Broil until fish is charred in spots, cooked through and the chard is starting to wilt and brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• As the fish cooks, make a quick dressing: Combine the remaining relish, lime zest, juice and 1/4 cup oil. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and scatter the torn cilantro over the fish and chard. Spoon the dressing over everything. Serve fish with any leftover dressing on the side.

Steps:

• For the sauce, whisk together: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Taste for salt and lemon juice and adjust as desired. The sauce will separate as it sits; this is not a problem.
• Season: 4 pieces striped bass, skin on (4 to 6 ounces each) with: Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Choose a heavy-bottomed pan for frying the fish. Take another, slightly smaller pan that will fit into the pan for the fish, and wrap its bottom with foil. This pan will be used as a weight to hold the fish flat against the frying pan to ensure that all of the skin will cook and crisp. (You will see the fish contract when it goes into the hot pan, as the skin shrinks on contact with the heat.) Warm the larger pan over medium-high heat. When hot, pour in: Olive oil, enough to generously coat the bottom.
• Add the pieces of bass, skin side down, and place the foil-wrapped pan on top of the fish. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Check now and then to see that the fish is indeed browning, but not overbrowning. Adjust the heat up or down to speed up or slow down the cooking as needed. When the skin is browned, remove the top pan and turn the fish. Cook for another minute or so, until the fish is just cooked through, but is still moist and tender inside. Meanwhile whisk the lemon sauce together again and pour it onto a warm plate. Serve the fish skin side up, on top of the sauce.
• Garnish the fish with a couple spoonfuls of chopped tender herbs such as parsley, chives, chervil, cilantro, or basil.
• Soak, rinse, and squeeze dry a tablespoon or so of capers. When the fish is cooked add the capers to the hot pan and sauté for a minute or two. Remove with a slotted spoon and scatter over the fish.
• Make a Beurre Blanc (Warm Butter Sauce; page 228) instead of the olive oil sauce.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a small pan, add garlic and cook over medium heat until golden. Remove from heat, drain garlic and chop it.
• Brush fish with half the oil on both sides. Brush flesh side with lemon and season with salt and pepper. You will need two large spatulas to turn fish; if you do not have them, cut fillet in half or in 4 portions. Brush tomato slices with remaining oil.
• Heat grill to very hot and oil grates. Briefly sear tomato slices, turning once. Remove to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Use edge of spatula to scrape grates clean. Re-oil. Place fish, skin side up, on grill. Cook about 5 minutes. Use spatulas to turn. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on skin side, until skewer inserted horizontally in the middle feels just warm. Salmon needs less time.
• Transfer fish to a warm platter and pave flesh side with overlapping tomato slices. Scatter with olives, chopped garlic and basil and serve, with aioli on the side, if desired.

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Whisk to combine. Using a sharp knife, score several diagonal lines along the length of the fish, down to spine, on either side. Marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator. After marinating, preheat grill or broiler. Meanwhile, prepare salsa: Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatoes, garlic, chilies and onion on a baking tray. Tuck the garlic underneath the vegetables to avoid blackening.
• Broil, turning frequently, until well charred, 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Transfer roasted ingredients to a food processor fitted with the metal blade or blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil and add the avocado. Set aside. Blanch greens in a large pot of boiling, salted water, just until the water returns to a boil. Refresh with iced water and drain. On a large baking sheet, arrange greens, overlapping to form 2 rectangles as long as each fish and more than twice as wide. Place each fish in the middle of each rectangle and wrap with greens so that only the head and tail are exposed. The dampness will make them cling.
• Transfer fish to grill, reserving marinade. Cook 7 to 8 minutes per side, until greens, head and tail blacken. It will take 2 spatulas, one at the head and one at the tail, to turn fish. Don't be concerned about greens sticking. To test for doneness, try to pull out a dorsal fin from the top of the fish. If it slides out easily, the fish is done. To serve, place whole fish on a serving platter. Using a dull knife and soup spoon, scrape off any remaining skin and remove fins. Cut along spine first and serve the top fillet. Lift tail, insert knife between bones and flesh, and run it along length. All (or most) bones should easily lift out. Repeat for second fish. Serve with the salsa.

Steps:

• Prepare a hot grill.
• Coat the fish fillets with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt.
• Thinly slice the squash lengthwise, using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, and combine with the kale in a large bowl. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables. Season with salt.
• Place the prepared fish skin-side down on the grill. After about 4 minutes, or when the skin easily lifts off the grill, flip the fillets.
• While the fish is cooking, place the kale and squash on the grill and watch carefully. Turn the vegetables the moment they begin to show grill marks.
• Once they are charred on both sides, return the vegetables to the large bowl and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice and chili flakes.
• Remove the fish from the grill after about 4 minutes on its second side, and top with a spoonful of the chimichurri sauce. Serve with the grilled vegetables.