Poached Whitefish, Zucchini Escabeche, Confit Vegetables, Fried Caper Gremolata

I just finished culinary school, and this was the recipe I made for my final fish practical “exam.” There were some parameters I had to follow: sole fish, one emulsified sauce, and three other techniques. I made an aioli with the reserved oil from the confit peppers for my practical but didn’t include that here in this recipe. I think the broth from the poaching liquid, gremolata, and oil from the peppers add plenty of flavor and saucy-ness.

This is a jam-packed recipe, and really the fish/gremolata can be paired with any sides of your choice. Everything is pretty simple with salt/pepper/garlic/onion/olive oil being the main seasonings. I think it’s really all about letting the natural flavors of the smoky roasted peppers and grilled zucchini, briny capers, and delicate fish shine in a buttery wine broth.

Wine Poached Whitefish, Zucchini Escabeche, Confit Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes, Fried Caper Gremolata

Servs 4 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Zucchini Escabeche:

·       1 zucchini

·       Olive oil

·       2 tbs. red wine vinegar

·       1 tbs. chives, finely minced

·       Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a grill pan or cast-iron pan.

Slice the zucchini in half width-wise, and then thinly slice it into strips length-wise, about 1/4-1/8 inch thick. Brush the strips with olive oil and grill/sear them on high heat to get grill marks on one side only (this will allow it to keep its structure better). Move to a bowl and drizzle with more olive oil, vinegar, salt/pepper, and chives. Gently toss and allow to marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and no more than an hour, as the zucchini will start to break down.

Confit Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes:

·       2 bell peppers – red, yellow, or orange

·       ¾ cup tomato – deseeded and small diced

·       Olive oil

·       1 small yellow onion

·       2 garlic cloves

·       1 tsp. ground smoked paprika

·       ½ tsp. granulated sugar

·       ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·       Zest from 1/2 lemon (save other half for Fried Caper Gremolata – see below)

·       Salt and pepper to taste

Char the peppers on either an open gas stove top flame or on a rack-lined sheet tray on the highest rack in your oven under the broiler. Rotate the peppers with tongs as they char until it gets entirely blistered in black char. Immediately place in a bowl and wrap tightly with plastic, or in an airtight container, and let the pepper sweat and cool completely. After about 15-20 minutes, you shoul easily be able to remove all the charred skin, leaving just the pepper flesh. Don’t worry about wiping the peppers completely clean, having some charred flakes left is ideal. Cut the cores/stems out and clean the peppers of their seeds. Medium dice the peppers and set aside.

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Heat a deep skillet or small saucepan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions/garlic with a pinch of salt. Sweat them for about 5 minutes until tender, allowing them to turn slightly golden but not too dark. Add the diced peppers, and all of the spices/sugar except for the lemon zest. Pour olive oil to just cover the peppers, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain from the oil (reserve the oil to use as you please — you now have a roasted red pepper olive oil!)

Add the lemon zest and adjust seasoning as you desire.

Wine Poached Whitefish:

·       4, 4-6 oz. filets of whitefish: Sole, Halibut, Cod, Flounder, etc. (I used sole for this)

·       1 cup dry white wine

·       1 cup fish or chicken stock

·       4 tbs. butter

·       2 tbs. olive oil

·       1 shallot, finely minced

·       1 garlic clove, crushed

·       10 black peppercorns or ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

·       Salt to taste

Heat a braiser/deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil and butter, allowing the butter to melt and begin to bubble. Cook the minced shallot, garlic clove, and peppercorns with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the wine and stock and allow to reduce 25%. Bring the heat to a steady simmer. Season the whitefish with salt and pepper. Nestle the fish filets in the broth, the liquid should come up about 3/4 the way of the filets. Use a spoon to baste the fish with the broth until the fish starts to appear flakey. Depending on the thickness of your fish and heat of your broth, this could take 3-4 minutes or up to 8-10 minutes. I used pretty thin sole filets and it only took about 3 minutes for me. Remove and serve over the zucchini and pepper confit with the fried caper gremolata sprinkled on top (recipe below). Spoon some of the poaching broth of the fish, as well!

Fried Caper Gremolata:

• 3 tbs. capers, drained and patted dry

• Canola or light olive oil, for frying

• 1/2 cup parsley, picked from stems and finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• Zest from ½ lemon

• Pinch Kosher salt

• 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

Heat a small skillet with about 1/2 inch of canola or olive oil over high heat. Test the oil for heat by dropping one caper in it—if it sizzles immediately it’s ready to go. Carefully spoon the rest of the capers in and fry them for about 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown/crispy. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon or strainer and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.

Add the picked and finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, lemon zest, salt, and oil to a bowl—mix to combine. For this recipe, I like it to be more salad-like than oily because of all the other oily components of the dish. Add the capers and combine right before serving.