Wok-seared Opakapaka with Amaranth, Hearts of Palm, and Okinawan Sweet Potatoes
When assembled and piled high, this dish has the look of a miniature sci-fi forest. Bright purple Okinawan mashed potatoes form a bed for the sauteed fillets. The tobiko (fish roe) has three colors, and the ogo and chervil garnishes add the final unworldly touch.
Ingredients
- Okinawan or regular sweet potatoes - 2-1/2 pounds
- Unsalted Butter - 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks), cut into pieces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Peanut Oil - 2 cups
- Opakapaka or other mild white-fleshed fish fillets - four, 6-ounce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Peanut Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Ginger-Butter Sauce
- Dry white wine - 1 cup
- Fresh Chervil - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Shallots - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Fresh Ginger - 1 tablespoon, coarsely chopped
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/2 cup
- Cold Unsalted butter - 2 cups (4 sticks), cut into pieces
- Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Stir-fried Amaranth and Hearts of Palm
- Peanut Oil - 1 cup
- Garlic Cloves - 4, finely chopped
- Hhearts of Palm - 8 ounces, julienned
- Fresh Amaranth - 1 pound, or spinach, cleaned and trimmed
- Chicken Stock - 4 cups
- Garnish
- Green Tobiko - 2 ounces
- Red Tobiko - 2 ounces
- White Tobiko - 2 ounces
- Ogo (seaweed) sprigs - 1/2 cup
- Fresh Chervil Sprigs - 12
Instructions
To prepare the potatoes: Peel and coarsely chop half of the sweet potatoes. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the chopped potatoes until tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Mash with the butter and 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside; keep warm.
Peel the remaining sweet potatoes and run through a spiral slicer to make fine coils or cut into fine shoestrings. Heat the peanut oil to 350 F in a deep-fryer or deep saucepan. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until they rise to the top and are crisp, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon or wire skimmer and drain on paper towels. Do not crowd the pan; fry in batches if necessary, allowing the oil to return to temperature between each batch.
To prepare the fish: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Season the flesh side of the fillets with salt and pepper. In a large ovenproof saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat the oil and sear the fillets, skin-side down, until crispy, about 25 seconds. Turn the fish, place in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.
To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the wine, chervil, shallots, and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat to reduce the liquid to 1/3 cup. Add the cream and reduce again to 1/2 cup. Lower the heat to low and whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time, to make a thick sauce. Remove the pan from the heat as necessary to keep the mixture just warm enough to melt each piece. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Set aside and keep warm over tepid water.
To prepare the stir-fry: In a wok over high heat, heat the oil to 350 F, or until rippling. Add the garlic to the oil and stir-fry for 5 seconds. Add the hearts of palm and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the amaranth or spinach and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock and stir. Set aside.
To serve: Scoop 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes onto the middle of each plate. Place 1/2 cup of the stir-fry on top. Top with a piece of fish, then ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce around it. Place 1 tablespoon of each kind of tobiko in the sauce on each plate. Scoop 2 tablespoons of mashed potato on top of the fish. Mound shoestring potatoes on top. The entire structure will be 6 to 7 inches tall. Place sprigs of ogo and chervil on top of the sauce between the tobiko mounds.
