Seared Rockfish with Late Summer Beans, Tomatoes, Lemon, and Tarragon
This simple dish combines blanched vegetables tossed in lemon vinaigrette with sauteed fish and an accent of cold tomato sauce. It’s Mediterranean roots are evident: there’s even a separate recipe for preserved lemons, characteristic of Mediterranean cooking. Note that the chef gives directions beginning with a whole rockfish; you may also begin with store-bought fillets.
Ingredients
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomatoes - 4, medium, peeled
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vinaigrette
- Lemon Rind - 2 teaspoons, chopped, preserved lemon rind (recipe below) or lemon zest
- Lemon Juice - 1/2 cup
- Balsamic Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Garlic - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
- Shallots - 12, whole, thinly sliced
- Carrots - 2 cups, peeled and diced
- Vegetables
- Canneloni Beans - 1 cup, dried, cooked according to package directions, drained, and cooled
- Mixed Fresh Beans - 1/2 pound, such as green, yellow wax, ramano, or purple variegated, blanched and cooled
- Tomatoes - 1/4 pound, such as yellow, red, red and/or golden cherry or pear tomatoes
- Rockfish
- Rockfish - one, 2-1/2-pound, cleaned
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Butter - 2 tablespoons (alt. olive oil)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Parsley - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Grated Lemon Zest - 1 tablespoon
- Chives - 2 tablespoons, chopped or snipped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Tarragon Leaves - 1 tablespoon
- Chives - 6 - 8 stems, cut into 2 - 3-inch pieces
- Lemon-infused oil or Extra-virgin olive oil - 4 tablespoons
- Preserved Lemons
- Lemons - 4 whole
- Kosher or rock salt to cover
- Lemon juice to moisten
Instructions
To make the tomato sauce: Cut the tomatoes into quarters and squeeze out the seeds. Puree in a blender or food processor. Place in a non-aluminum bowl lined with cheesecloth; draw the cheesecloth together and gently squeeze out the juice (or, hang over a bowl in a cheesecloth bag and place in the refrigerator overnight to drain). Blend the tomato flesh and olive oil to make a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
To make the vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a non-aluminum pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes to soften the carrots. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To prepare the fish: Fillet the fish: Make an incision behind the gill, cutting across the side. Holding the knife parallel to the side, cut along the sides up to the backbone, then cut down along the backbone and lift away the fillet. Repeat on opposite side. Run your finger along the flesh side of each fillet and remove any bones that remain with long-nosed pliers or tweezers. Cut the fillets in half on the diagonal, making four fillets. Make a series of 3 or four diagonal slashes through the skin-side of the fillet so the fish will not curl when cooked.
Set the oven on lowest setting. Rub the fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and place the fillets in the butter, skin-side down. Cook 3 - 4 minutes. Turn with a spatula and cook 3 - 4 minutes on the other side, until the meat is cooked through and flakes easily. Sprinkle with parsley, lemon zest, and chives. Place in the oven until ready to serve.
To serve: Toss the beans in the warm vinaigrette and place the pan over medium-low heat until warmed through. Add the tomatoes and toss again. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Mound beans and tomatoes to one side on each serving plate. Drizzle vinaigrette over the vegetables and around the plates. Lean a rockfish fillet against each mound of vegetables. Garnish with tarragon leaves and chive pieces. Drizzle lemon oil or olive oil round the edge of the plate and add a few droplets of tomato sauce to each plate.
Preserved Lemons
Split the lemons in half. Fill the bottom of a glass or other non-reactive container with salt. Add the lemon halves and cover with additional salt. Add enough lemon juice to moisten the salt and pack it down. Cover and let stand two weeks. Remove the lemons from the salt and rinse. Use the outer peel (rind), which can be diced or julienned. Preserved lemon is commonly used in Mediterranean cooking.
