Spring has been late here in NYC, and one could argue quite convincingly that it still is not here. We are having more than our fair share of cold, and if you do not wish to buy winter storage vegetables, or green house greens, you are not eating locally. And indeed, Annalena confesses that she went beyond the confines of the local for this recipe, which is a variation on something she saw in a cooking magazine, for seared red snapper. Annalena did not use red snapper, but she did use a fairly local fish, ocean perch, or as it is known, usually, acadian redfish:
Looks a bit like snapper fillets doesn't it? If you have neither one, rest assured, any firm white fish will do. Annalena forewent her beloved black seabass on this recipe, because when confronted with a 12.00 a pound price difference, she chose the perch. (Incidentally, apparently this fish is so named to appeal to midwesterners, who prefer fresh water fish, like perch, to saltwater fish. Who knew?)
This entry, ragazzi, is more about the sauce for the fish, and about cooking fish generally: how to make a crispy skin. It works, amici. And let us proceed, first with making our sauce, and then, with a primer on crispy fish.
Annalena's "curated grocery" box for the week included a bag of nettles. She also had a recipe for nettle sauce, which intrigued her, since Annalena finds nettles one of the most interesting and delicious vegetables she can get:
You will see them on the left in this photo, which is a grouping of what we will use in this recipe.
Here is a closer image. You will see that they are very stemmy and woody. They are a wild crop. As far as Annalena knows, nettles have not been domesticated.
It is no coincidence that one speaks of "being nettled." For most people, the small protrusions on nettle leaves, sting and aggravate. Annalena can tell you that, as you use them, you develop some immunity, but until you do , it is best to wear gloves when you use them, or at the least, run them under hot water, because this will eliminate the issue.
Those stems are not edible, so remove the leaves, and then wash them thoroughly. You do not know where those leaves have been , when they are wild. You are going to need six cups of leaves. If you do not have enough lentils, use another green, like spinach. And if you have no nettles, use spinach. Or combine spinach with arugula, or chard, and so forth. Just about any tender green will work here. That excludes mature kale or collards, ragazzi. You also need three cloves of garlic, that you will slice thinly, and either two shallots, or a small onion, diced. You will see them above in the picture.
Now, cook these aliums (the onion and the garlic), in a third of a cup of olive oil, slowly. Just until they soften, perhaps 3-5 minutes. Then, start adding your greens. As you put them in the pan, turn them in the oil:
You will be astounded how quickly they collapse into a much smaller volume:
This was after just two minutes of turning the greens, above, in the hot oil, and then after 4:
At this p oint, add half a cup of chicken stock and, off the heat, the juice of one large lemon. Put all of this into a blender, and puree it. Here's what you get:
That is a one cup measure, ragazzi. It's a thick, tasty green puree that you could use for other things. You could enrich it with butter if you wanted to.
Ok, now we're going to cook the fish. Now, Annalena has been cooking fish in her non stick pan, but she wondered about chefs who use regular pans. She found a source for how to "temper" a pan for fish cookery. It works. You must be brave though, ragazzi.
First, you put a dry pan on the stove at high heat, and you let it go for about two minutes. Then, you add a tablespoon of oil. Swirl it around the pan, and after a minute or so, turn down the heat. Wipe out that oil with a paper towel, at the end of a pair of tongs. It's HOT, and you won't use it to cook.
Now, to cook your fish: we do some prep ahead of time. First, pat the fish as dry as you can. Then, put it, skin side up, in your fridge, uncovered, for about an hour, or longer. When it comes out of the fridge, pat it dry again.
Put a quarter cup of vegetable oil in the pan. Let it heat for about 3 minutes. Then, put your fish, skin side down, right in the oil:
Fish skin curls and shrinks, and this will impact your fish. If you wish to prevent this press down on the fish for a few minutes - no more than two. Your fish will not stick. Annalena guarantees that. Turn the fish over, and cook it for another two minutes:
Annalena has added slices of lemon. You need not do so, however, if you do not like this. How you plate your dish, is up to you. Annalena prefers some sauce underneath the fish, and a bit on the top, but you are the Master, or Mistress, of your own destiny here:
The fish is served with roasted potatoes and turnips. So we have a mix of the autumnal (the turnips), and the spring (the nettles and the spinach).
You have a lot here, ragazzi: a primer on fish, a great spring green sauce, and a complete dish. Use the information well. Annalena knows you will. And she wishes you all a wonderful Easter
