Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring
Salt Table’s All Round Good Grinder Blend (or Tybee Island Coastal Blend)
Adapted from my book Essentials of Southern Cooking (Lyons Press/2013), the recipe was originally intended for grouper, but it also works well with sea trout (photographed), sea bass, snapper, pompano, and cod.
The Salt Table’s All Round Good Grinder Blend not only simplifies the seasoning but actually enhances the orange, ginger, and sherry combination better than the original seasonings. Another great Salt Table Seasoning for it would be Tybee Island Coastal Blend.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 thick grouper, sea trout, sea bass, snapper, or cod fillets (about 2 pounds, or 8-ounces each)
- Salt Table’s All Round Good Grinder Blend (or Tybee Island Coastal Blend)
- 4 small or 2 large scallions or other green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 1 large lemon
- 1 medium orange
- ½ cup dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into teaspoon-size bits
How to Make It:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450° F. Rinse the fish under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Butter a flameproof casserole that will hold fish in one layer. Season the fish well on both sides with All Round Good Grinder Blend and put in dish, skin-side down. Sprinkle the scallions over it, reserving 2 tablespoons of the greens. Remove the zest from the lemon and half of orange with a bar zester (or vegetable peeler and cut into julienne with a sharp knife). Sprinkle these over the fish. Cut the lemon and orange in half.
- Juice the lemon and one half of the orange through strainer set over a glass or stainless-steel bowl. You should have equal parts orange and lemon juice—about 2 tablespoons of each. Stir them together and stir in the sherry and ginger. Pour it over fish. Bake in center of oven, basting several times, until it’s just cooked through (it will flake slightly and be opaque in the center), about 15–18 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Remove the fish to a warm platter. Put the casserole over direct medium-high heat (or if it’s not flameproof, transfer the cooking liquid to a saucepan). Bring it to a boil, and boil, stirring and scraping the pan occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half. Turn off heat, and whisk in the butter by bits. Spoon a little of the sauce over the fish and pour remainder into a sauceboat. Sprinkle the fish with reserved green onion tops and serve, passing the sauce separately.
Suggested Seasonings