FEATURED
RECIPE (featured on epicurious.com)
Pistachio Sea Bass with Crab
Salad
Makes
6 servings
INGREDIENTS
For crab
salad
* 1/2 pound sea beans, tips (tiny branches along stem) reserved and
stems discarded (3/4 cup)
* 3/4 pound cooked jumbo lump crabmeat, picked
over and broken into small pieces
* 4 scallions, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon curry powder, or to
taste
For fish
* 6 (5-ounce) pieces skinless sea bass fillet (3/4 inch thick),
bones removed with tweezers
* 1 large beaten egg white
* 3/4 cup finely chopped unsalted shelled
pistachios
* 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons pistachio oil
* Fleur de sel to taste
* Coconut sauce
* Special equipment: 6 large (24- by 14-inch) sheets white
parchment paper; 6 small metal paper clips; an 18- by 12-inch
baking sheet
PREPARATION
Make crab salad:
Blanch sea bean tips in a small
saucepan of boiling salted water 30 seconds, then drain in a sieve
and pat dry.
Reserve 1/4 cup sea bean tips for
garnish, then stir together remaining tips with crab and scallions.
Stir together lime juice and curry powder in a small bowl, then
pour over crab and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss
to combine.
Prepare and cook
fish:
Cut 1 sea bass fillet in half
crosswise (each piece should measure about 4 by 3 inches). Season
skinned sides of both halves lightly with salt, then stack pieces,
skinned sides together, to form a "steak." Brush top generously
with egg white and top evenly with about 2 tablespoons pistachios,
pressing to adhere. Assemble 5 more servings in same
manner.
Put oven rack in middle position and
preheat oven to 350°F.
Fold 1 sheet of parchment in half
crosswise and, starting at 1 end of crease, cut out a half heart
shape, keeping vertical crease as long as possible. Unfold heart
and arrange on a work surface with point nearest you, then place a
fish steak just to 1 side of crease. Fold other half of heart over
fish to enclose and, starting at top of crease, turn in edges of
parchment in overlapping folds, about 1 inch apart, pressing each
fold firmly as you go, to form a tight seal. Tuck last fold under
packet and secure with a paper clip. Make 5 more packets in same
manner.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a
12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not
smoking, then sear 2 fish packets, starting with nut sides down,
until nuts are pale golden, about 30 seconds (watch closely, as
nuts burn easily). Carefully turn packets over with a slotted metal
spatula and sear until fish is golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer
seared packets, nut sides up, with spatula to baking sheet. Sear
remaining packets in same manner, adding more oil to skillet as
needed.
Bake packets until fish is just
cooked through, about 13 minutes.
While fish bakes, divide crab salad
among 6 plates, arranging in center as a bed for fish.
Cut open each packet and lightly
brush top (nut side) with 1 teaspoon pistachio oil, then sprinkle
with fleur de sel. Carefully transfer fish with spatula to crab
salad, discarding parchment, and pour coconut sauce around fish.
Sprinkle each with reserved sea bean tips.