When it comes to cooking fish, there is nothing better than a beautifully seared filet, except a fried one. Or grilled. O.K. They're all tied for first for me. Depends on the fish, the mood and sometimes the weather.
I am not one of those that only grills from Memorial Day to Labor Day, I have often stood in a driving rain over my Weber and prepared the food of the day. So this time it's mood and type of fish.
We bought some gorgeous grouper today and I feel like searing it. I'm looking forward that crisp golden brown crust that forms when the caramelization on a white fish is done perfectly.
Grouper is a beautiful fish that is simultaneously meaty and a little flakey. This fish can be prepared in many ways, although I would shy away from battered and fried since the delicate flavor would be overwhelmed or poaching which for me is just wrong for most fish.
I'll be preparing French Green Lentils to accompany the grouper and since searing is pretty easy, as long as your pan is hot enough and you are patient, we'll cover the preparation of those as well.
Since the lentils take longer, let's start there.
I like the French Green Lentils more than all other lentils combined because of their texture, their ability to hold together (rather tan becoming a paste) and their earthy, almost peppery flavor.
The recipe below is very simple for a reason, I really want the flavor of the lentils to be evident. They hold up well to other flavorings as well such as fennel, bay leaf etc.
1 C French green lentils
2 C chicken stock or water
1 tsp kosher salt
2 T minced shallots
2 tsp minced garlic
Get a two quart sauce pan and put it on the stove. Mince a shallot and some garlic. I have included a video on mincing a shallot below.
On medium heat sauté the garlic and shallot with a little olive oil until fragrant and the shallot has become tender (about one minute).
Add the lentils and kosher salt with them them in the pan.
Pour in your chicken stock or water bring to a simmer and stir occasionally.
They should be ready in 25 minutes or so. Test them by removing a few and tasting them. They should still be reasonably firm but should not crunch. This is also a good way to check the seasoning.
For the Grouper:
Heat your oven to 375F.
Cut the fish into the portion size that you want to serve and pat dry with a paper towel. Place a skillet or sauté pan on the stove that is large enough to hold all of the portions that you will be cooking.
Season the fish with kosher salt and white pepper. Add some oil to the pan and heat until it shimmers place the fish in the pan "presentation" side down.
When examining the filet, the skin side will look like this:
Note the darker fatty line that runs down the center.
The presentation side looks like this:
This can also be called the "bone side" or when removing the meat from the whole animal, this is where the knife comes between the meat and the bone.
Once the filets are in the pan, you need to be patient while the caramelization takes place. Keep the pan on high. If you are using a regular pan (i.e. no non-stick coating) the fish will start to separate from the pan as the golden brown goal is achieved. To check "shake" the pan. Be careful, we're looking for a very small jerking motion.
Once the filets are caramelized, turn them over, again be careful and turn them away from you to avoid being spattered with hot oil. Cook skin side down for about two minutes and transfer to the oven to finish.
To serve, spoon a small pile of lentils into center of the plate and place the finished grouper on top.
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