Smoked Redfish
Louisiana redfish — or any firm-fleshed white fish — is poached in wine and served with a simple wine-butter sauce filled with shrimp and oysters. The extra kick: the fish is smoked before it is poached. This simple and elegant dish begins early in the day when the fish is smoked. The final, and quick, preparation takes place just before serving.
Ingredients
- Smoked Redfish
- Redfish Fillets - four, 6-ounce, skinned
- Water - 2 cups
- Salt - 1 tablespoon
- Poaching and Sauce
- Redfish fillets (above) - 4 smoked
- Dry white wine - 1 to 1-1/2 cups
- Shrimp - 12, peeled and cooked
- Fresh Oysters - 12
- Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup
- Parsley - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Instructions
To smoke the fish: Soak the fillets in the water and salt for 1 hour. Start a charcoal fire in a smoker and soak some hickory chips in water for at least 15 minutes. When the coals are ready, push them to one side and spread the hickory chips evenly over the coals. Put a pan of ice next to the coals in the smoker to insure the temperature in the smoker does not go above 90 F during the smoking of the fish. Put the fillets on a rack and smoke for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Check temperature frequently. If it rises above 90 F, open the hood to cool. Keep smoked fish refrigerated until ready to poach.
To poach the fish and prepare the sauce: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put the smoked redfish fillets n an ovenproof saute pan and add wine almost to cover. Put in the oven and poach until the fillets flake easily, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the fish from the pan and keep warm.
Put the pan over medium heat on top of the stove and bring the liquid in the pan to a boil. Add the shrimp and oysters. Stir in the butter to thicken the sauce. Add the chopped parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve: Place a fish fillet on each warmed serving plate. Spoon the butter sauce over and around the fish, dividing the shrimp and oysters among the servings.
