Braised Grouper Over Sweet Pea Puree
Summer in a Skillet
Braised Grouper Over Sweet Pea Puree | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
You know how they say that at parties everyone ends up in the kitchen? Not at my place. While I have a pretty large kitchen by New York City standards, it’s mighty narrow when you’re trying to squeeze past somebody to get to the stove. I can cook there well enough, but socialize? Not so much.
Thus, when I visited a friend’s country home last weekend I came down hard with a case of kitchen envy. It wasn’t just that her kitchen had ample counter space and storage, along with plenty of light and air; it was that four of us could fit in there and not get in each other’s way.
If you want to make me happy allow me to cook, which my host kindly did on Saturday night. So here I was, not just preparing a meal, but luxuriating in the ability to simultaneously chop tomatoes and chat with others who are also cooking—in the same kitchen, at the same time. What a concept.
I selected the recipe for our group cook, and chose something that would announce “summer” without the use of a grill. (Since I don’t know know how to use one and only wanted my hosts to cook if they wanted to.) I opted for a braised fish over a sweet pea puree from “Seafood alla Siciliana: Recipes and Stories From a Living Tradition” by Toni Lydecker, published by Lake Isle Press. The recipe calls for grouper, but that’s not so easy to get in the Northeast, so we used striped bass instead.
It’s a simple meal that’s easy to prepare. Since there were four of us, we cooked a pound and a half of fish instead of a pound without altering the rest of the recipe. The fish was flavorful, light, and tender. The pea puree was so delicious, lucky for us we had a baguette to sop up what was left on the plate. Even so, we had so much puree we probably could have cut it by half, but my hosts enjoyed the leftovers so why not make the full recipe?
It was fun prepping the meal with others in a large open kitchen, but I could serve this for a dinner party in my smaller NYC digs as well. I try to spend as little time in the kitchen away from guests as possible, and this recipe affords that with ease. The puree can be made in advance, and the braise can be prepped ahead. All you have to do is add the chopped tomatoes, wine, and fish to the skillet with the softened onions and cook for around ten minutes. Presto!
There are many things I prize about city life. I love the spontaneity, the dizzying variety, the constant surprise. I appreciate that so many places are within easy walking distance, that around any corner I might stumble upon something unexpected and extraordinary, and that I have access and proximity to… well, almost anything.
These things all come at a cost—noise, grit, crowds, traffic, small spaces at big prices—and most of the time I’m willing to pay it. But sometimes, like last weekend, I feel more than a little wistful. Wouldn’t it be nice, I think to myself, to pop in the car and load up on groceries at Costco, to have more closets than I can use; and to have a kitchen the size of a studio apartment?
Yes, it would be nice. But I’ll think about it later because I have theater tickets for tonight and I need to get ready.
Braised Grouper Over Sweet Pea Puree
(Cerna a Spizzatinu Ccô Maccu Ri Pisedda)
Click here for printable recipe.
Makes 3 servings | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, halved pole to pole, cut in slivers
Extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups diced fresh plum tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
1 pound grouper or monkfish fillets, or other fairly firm white fish, cut in 1-inch chunks
Sea salt or kosher salt
Fresh ground white or black pepper
2 cups frozen peas
Several mint leaves, torn
PREPARATION
In a skillet deep enough the hold the fish, cook the onion in 3 tablespoons olive oil, over medium-low heat, until soft but not browned. Transfer 1/4 cup of the onion to a small saucepan, leaving the rest in the skillet.
Add the tomatoes and wine to the skillet. Arrange the fish chunks on top; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Over medium-low heat, simmer briskly, partially covered, until the fish is cooked through, about 8 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat the fish. (If it is runny, pour excess liquid into a small saucepan and reduce over higher heat; return to the skillet.)
To the saucepan with the onion, add the peas, 1/3 cup water, and a little olive oil, to taste. Bring to a simmer, cooking just until the peas are heated through. Add the mint and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the pea mixture to a blender container; blend until very smooth, adding a bit more water if needed to make a puree thick enough to hold its shape on a plate.
To serve: Ladle the puree onto plates or shallow soup bowls and tilt to form a circle in the center; Spoon the fish and sauce on top.
Note
This flavorful braised fish could also be served on its own, with crusty bread and perhaps a green salad.
Recipe from “Piatto Unico” by Toni Lydecker, Lake Isle Press, 2011
Braised Grouper Over Sweet Pea Puree Recipe
from Seafood alla Siciliana: Recipes & Stories From a Living Tradition
by Toni Lydecker, Lake Isle Press, 2009
“A uniquely satisfying cookbook [full of] alluring, easy-to-follow recipes.” —Food & Wine
Seafood alla Siciliana: Recipes & Stories From A Living Tradition” is the first cookbook to explore in depth the rich culinary dimensions of Sicilian seafood, features recipes that burst with authentic flavor and bring to life the island’s eclectic cooking styles—a brilliant mix of Greek, Arab, French, and Spanish influences. Nothing could be simpler or more delicious than a Sicilian-style baked or grilled fish, served with a simple salmoriglio sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and oregano, and this cookbook will show how to put it on the table.
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