As many of you already know, I teach a series of intimate cooking classes called Flirting with Flavors. My goal is to make cooking fun and sexy, and inspire all of you to get in the kitchen and put the sizzle back in your lives. One of the fundamental techniques that I teach is how to season and grill a perfect piece of fish….My guy Michael went fishing with his family last weekend off the coast of Montauk and caught nearly 120 pounds of striped bass!!! I have been grilling that beautiful bass all week and I wanted to share with you two of my favorite preparations…..
And remember, if you want to keep it hot in the kitchen, sign up for my Fall Cooking Classes by clicking HERE.
HERB MARINATED GRILLED STRIPED BASS:
Serves 2
1 pound fresh striped bass fillet
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
In a shallow dish, marinate the fish with all the above ingredients for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill or a grill pan over medium heat. Lay the fish on the grill, and cook, turning only once. Cover and cook until fish is moist and barely flaking – about 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.
Serve immediately with one of the following salsas;
ITALIAN TOMATO AND CORN SALSA:
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
12 medium sized ripe tomatoes, halved, seeds squeezed out, chopped into ½ inch pieces
Pinch sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano, or 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 ears fresh corn, shucked and kernels removed
2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions, and cook on medium heat until very soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat often to prevent burning. Add the tomatoes, sugar, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Let simmer, stirring often, about 20 minutes until almost all liquid is absorbed. Stir the corn kernels and basil in the warm sauce. Cook on low heat for 30 seconds. Adjust seasoning.
Grilled bass with corn and leek salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup roasted tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
4 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
1 bunch swiss chard, washed, cleaned and chopped into small pieces, stems included
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and butter. Add leeks and cook until soft and silky, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes on low heat. Stir in tomatoes, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add fresh corn and chard and season all with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another minute. Serve alongside the fish.
