Seared Opakapaka with Crab Rolls
This dish is a refreshing salad with a warm sauteed opakapaka fillet (pink snapper). The fresh light crab rolls combine greens and crab in a translucent rice paper wrapper. More fresh greens are caught in a bracelet of roasted potato. The opakapaka is simply sauteed to perfection and sauced with a light vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- Potato Bracelets
- Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes - 4
- Peanut Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Vinaigrette
- Plain rice vinegar - 1 cup
- Peanut Oil - 1 cup
- Fresh cilantro sprigs - 2, minced
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Red Curry Paste - 1 teaspoon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Basil Puree
- Basil leaves - 1 cup, fresh
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Crab Rolls
- Rice paper wrappers - 4
- Frisee (curly endive) - 1 cup
- Red Oak Lettuce Leaves - 4 leaves
- Red Romaine lettuce - 4 leaves
- Amaranth leaves or spinach - 1-1/2 cups
- Cucumber - 1/2, cut into julienne
- Avocado - 1, pitted, peeled, and cut into julienne
- Radish Sprouts - 1/4 cup
- Pickled Ginger - 2 tablespoons
- Fresh lump crab meat - 10 ounces
- Peanut Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Opakapaka or other mild white-fleshed fish fillets - four, 6-ounce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Garnish
- Okinawan spinach leaves or other spinach leaves - 8, stemmed
- Radish Sprouts - 1/2 cup
- Red Ginger - 2 tablespoons, julienned
- Black Sesame Seeds - 2 tablespoons, toasted
- Assorted edible flowers
Instructions
To make the potato bracelets: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Peel the potatoes and slice into 1/8-inch slices. In a medium saute pan or skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the potatoes until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. In a cup of a nonstick muffin pan, overlap the potato slices to create a ring. Repeat with 3 more cups, using all the potato slices. Bake for 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin cups.
To make the vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until creamy. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
To make the basil puree: Place the basil and oil in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour into a squeeze bottle and set aside.
To make the crab rolls: Place the rice paper wrappers in warm water to separate. Dip the wrappers into the water only until they are translucent, and drape them over the edge of a table or work surface to drip. Divide the remaining ingredients into fourths. Place a wrapper on a work surface and fill the center with one fourth of the greens and vegetables. Top with ginger and crab meat. Roll the wrapper around the filling, letting the filling protrude from the open ends. Repeat with the remaining three wrappers.
In a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and sear the opakapaka fillets, about 1 minute, then turn and sear on the other side for 1 more minute. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until the fish flakes easily and is golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve: Cut the crab rolls in half, then cut a 1-1/2-inch-thick circle off the blunt end of each portion. Lay 2 crab roll circles in the center of each serving plate. Stand the other two ends, with the filling protruding, on one side of each plate. Place 1 potato bracelet on each plate and stand one fourth of the spinach leaves in each bracelet. Place 1 fish fillet on each pair of crab roll circles. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fillets, and garnish with radish sprouts, red ginger, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and edible flowers. Dot basil puree around the vinaigrette.
