Seared Red Fish with Blueberry BBQ Sauce
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 6 servings
- Total: 1 hr 55 min
- Active: 55 min
Ingredients
Blueberry BBQ Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dark chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups ketchup
8 ounces blueberries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cornbread Cakes:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
Grapeseed oil
Roasted Baby Carrots:
12 baby carrots, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
Plating:
Eighteen 3-ounce red fish fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons butter
24 pieces blanched asparagus
Directions
- For the sauce: In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, dry mustard and cayenne, and saute for 2 minutes while stirring to toast the spices. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and wine. Whisk in the ketchup and bring the sauce to a boil and add half of the blueberries. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the sauce for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning.
- Puree the sauce with an immersion blender, and then add the remaining blueberries. Simmer for another 5 minutes and keep warm for plating.
- For the cornbread cakes: In a mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking soda, and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, butter and egg, and whisk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Rest the batter for 30 minutes.
- On a skillet set over medium-high heat, heat some oil and pour silver-dollar-size portions of the batter on the skillet. Allow the cakes to cook until golden brown on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook to golden brown on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the skillet to a paper-towel-lined pate to absorb any grease.
- For the carrots: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a large saute pan or a baking sheet in it.
- In a bowl, toss the carrots with the oil, salt and pepper. Remove the hot pan from the oven and spread the carrots onto the pan. The carrots should sizzle when they hit the pan. Quickly place the pan back in the oven and cook until the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
- For plating: Heat a skillet to high heat. Sprinkle the red fish fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat some grape seed oil on the skillet until it just begins to smoke. Lay the fillets on the skillet, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown and releases from the skillet. Do not over crowd the pan, cook the fish in batches.
- In a saute pan melt the butter and toss the blanched asparagus and roasted carrots until hot. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon 1 to 2 ounces of the BBQ sauce onto one side of the plate and drag the sauce to the other side of the plate. Layer 3 cornbread cakes going in the opposite direction of the sauce. Lay 3 pieces of fish over the cakes and then lean 4 pieces of asparagus and 4 pieces of carrots on one side of the fish. Drizzle the fish with another 1 ounce of the BBQ sauce, and then serve.