This weekend we went over to my parent’s house for dinner. My dad had gone fishing earlier in the day, and came home with a nice sized “rock” as we call them around here, striped bass to the rest of the world. He cleaned it when we were finished with dinner (a gorgeous bushel of steamed #1 blue crabs) and sent us home with a nice sized filet, that I portioned into 4 smaller sized filets.
We get so much gorgeous, fresh seafood around here, I really take it for granted. I already had a menu set for the week, so I decided to make the fish for lunch on Sunday. Usually, I’d fry it an call it a day – but the filets were so gorgeous, I wanted to do something special. I came up with this dish with what I had on hand, and it really knocked our socks off. I was afraid the salsa would be overpowering, but it wasn’t. The smokey sweetness just played up the flavor of the fish, and it was a nice change of pace from our standard fish fry! Plus, I got to use the pea shoots I’d bought on a whim at Trader Joe’s the week before. They soaked up all the juices from the dish, made for a surprisingly good salad.
If you’re looking for something to do with that abundance of rockfish we’re so lucky to have in our waters right now (or any other substantial white fish – mahi, halibut, etc.) bookmark this recipe! I’m hoping Dad shares some more with us this spring. I’m more than happy to send out a First and Second mate with him!
Striped Bass with Chorizo Salsa
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) striped bass fillets
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
8 ounces chorizo sausage, casing removed
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn fish over; cook 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.
For the salsa, return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the chorozio, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook until nice and browned, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring a moment until mixture becomes fragrant. Add the water and balsamic vinegar, turn heat to low, and simmer until tomatoes soften, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Serve sauce with fish over a bed of greens.
Source: adapted from Cooking Light, July 2010
