One Branzino, Two Branzini, Three Branzini, Yum!

This post may be a little long today as we have much to tell you!

Branzino (a European sea bass) is one of Darlene’s most favorite fish.  We first had it in Italy back in ’88.  After that we were on a quest to find it in the States.  We searched high and low and finally found it at a Greek fish restaurant in the Fell’s Point section of Baltimore at a little place called The Black Olive.  It’s small, warm, inviting and the owners are just adorable!  Actually, they come from a long line of Greek restaurateurs.  One cousin is the brains behind the famed Estiatorio Milos  in NY, Montréal & Athens.  (If you go, be sure to get the Milos special appetizer, the tomato salad, and any fish you desire – you won’t be disappointed!).

 

Fast forward to our purchase of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc At Home. 

 

 

For those of you who don’t know who Thomas Keller is – he is considered to be the true Top American Chef.  His restaurant The French Laundry in Napa Valley is widely thought to be the #1 restaurant in the country.  The kitchen sounds in the movie Ratatouille are authentic sounds made in the kitchen of The French Laundry.  We have eaten there once and, yes, it was an incredibly decadent meal in addition to being the most expensive meal we have ever had – but worth every cent!

 

 

Ad Hoc is Keller’s family-style restaurant, also in Napa Valley.  The corresponding cookbook features meals prepared at the restaurant and meals Keller prepares at home and boasts a section on How to Become a Better Cook.  It’s a great read, the pictures make you want to grab the food right off the book and eat, and the recipes are straightforward, though some can be time-consuming.  After our first perusal of the book, we immediately decided we’d be making the salt-crusted striped bass. This method of cooking fish is common in Italy and produces a really moist fish that’s perfectly seasoned (and it doesn’t stink up the house!).

 

So we headed over to Whole Foods where they only had small Branzini that day.  We bought 3 one-pounders, had the fishmonger clean them up for us and headed home to become Keller’s Mini-me’s. 

 

 

Aren’t they beautiful?  Don’t they look succulent and tasty?  Don’t you wish you could have some right now?  The fish was every bit as delicious as in any restaurant and the recipe was straightforward and simple even if we did have to adjust it a bit since we had 3 one-pound fish rather than 1 four-pound fish.

 

 

In any event, we hope you garner enough courage to try this recipe.  We served it alongside his broccolini salad with burrata cheese.  Add a crisp white wine like Santa Maria La Palma’s Aragosta Vermentino di Sardegna - light-bodied white, aromas of lemon and lime, goes perfectly with seafood; or Chahalem’s Inox Chardonnay (stainless steel tank fermented) – rich & full of light fruits, with a crisp, zesty finish.  We enjoy this wine all year long. Cheers!

 

 

 

Salt-Crusted Striped Bass

Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

 3 one-pound branzini – gutted, scaled, fins cut off

4 cups kosher salt

8 large egg whites

½ bunch flat-least parsley

fronds from 1 fennel bulb

1 lemon, sliced thin

1 small orange, sliced thin

evoo

 

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Stir together the salt & egg whites in a large bowl.  Make a layer of the salt mixture just over ¼ inch thick on a baking sheet.

 

Stuff the fish cavity with parsley, fennel fronds, and fruit slices.  Lay the fish on top of the salt mixture on the baking sheet.  Take the remaining salt mixture and cover the top of the fish entirely, making sure the fish are completely covered in salt.  Use a paper towel to pat the crust to remove excess moisture.

 

Roast fish for 30-40 minutes (turn the pan 180° halfway through cooking).  Insert instant read thermometer into thickest part of middle fish – when it reads 125°F remove the fish from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

 

To serve:  Using either 2 large spoons or a fish fork and large spoon crack the crust breaking it into large pieces and remove from the top and sides of the fish.  Remove the skin by gently rolling it off the meat.  The top fillet is now exposed and can be lifted right off the bone.  Next, lift the tail of the fish pulling toward the head to remove the skeleton. Lift the bottom fillet off the baking sheet.  A pastry brush can be used to gently brush away any salt that remains.  Drizzle with some evoo and enjoy.

 

Broccolini Salad with Burrata cheese

Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

 2 lb. broccolini, thick part of stalks removed

2 large Portobello mushroom caps, sliced thin

1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings

1 cup black Cerignola olives (or other cured olives) sliced

½ cup vinaigrette (your own choice, Keller used Sherry vinegar)

salt & pepper to taste

2 large rounds of burrata cheese (like fresh mozzarella, but loose & creamy inside)

evoo

sea salt (we used Sicilian)

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Prepare an ice bath (large bowl of water and ice).

 

Blanch the broccolini in the bling water until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking.  Drain on paper towels.

 

Gently toss the broccolini with 2/3 of the vinaigrette then place on a platter all lined up.  Gently toss the mushrooms with the remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle over the broccolini.  Sprinkle the onion and olives on top.

 

Place the burrata in a shallow bowl.  Cut away the top nub of the burrata and using a pair scissors cut an X into the top until you reach the creamy center.  Open the top slightly and drizzle evoo inside.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and serve alongside the broccolini.