Southern Seafood with Style – Part II
By Beth Flaherty

 

 

If you had to pick a place to go to for great seafood, you couldn’t go wrong in coming to southeastern North Carolina.  Every day that the fishing boats can go out, they come back in with a gracious plenty of good fish such as mahi, grouper, tuna, spot, drum, Spanish and king mackerel, flounder, blues, and pompano.  Any of these fish are great eating.  The most common commercially available fish are mahi, tuna, and grouper so we’re going to concentrate on these three great fish.

 

 

Mahi Mahi

Visitors to North Carolina are sometimes shocked to sit down in a restaurant and find dolphin on the menu.  Don't be alarmed.  We aren't referring to the sea mammal, but to the dolphin fish or dorado, also known by its Hawaiian name "mahi mahi," which literally means "strong strong."

Mahi-mahi is a beautiful fish, blue and gold or green and gold, and is highly prized as a game fish.  They have green and gold flanks that shine with iridescent color.  Ranging in weight from two to fifty pounds, the mahi mahi is found in warm tropical and subtropical waters worldwide.  Originally, mahi mahi were a "by catch" of tuna and swordfish fishing, but are now sought after for their own sake.

Fresh mahi mahi never smells fishy, and its flesh will give slightly when you press it with a finger, then spring back into shape. Look for moist, translucent (never dried out) flesh.  As with most filleted and skinned fish, plan to buy about 1/3 pound or about five to six ounces per person. To store mahi mahi, remove packaging, rinse fish under cold water, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.  Fish deteriorates when it sits in its own juices, so place it in a re-sealable bag in a shallow pan filled with crushed ice and set it in the coldest part of the refrigerator.  Mahi mahi will store well this way for up to two days.

The meat of the mahi mahi is firm and dark, turning white and opaque when cooked.  It is low in fat with a delicious sweet flavor. However, like any fish, it will be dry if overcooked.

The skin is tough and so it is usually removed before cooking.  Mahi lends itself to almost all cooking methods, including grilling, broiling, pan-frying, or baking.  It pairs well with tropical ingredients such as lime, coconut milk, nuts, pineapple, and other fruits, or with Asian notes such as teriyaki, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, etc.

Pecan-Crusted Mahi Mahi – Serves 4

4 5-oz mahi filets
¾ c pecans
¾ c panko breadcrumbs
¼ t brown sugar
1/8 t cayenne, or to taste
Olive oil – about ¼ to 1/3 c
1 fresh mango
1 T spiced or dark rum

In a food processor, place the pecans and breadcrumbs with brown sugar and cayenne pepper.  Pulse until the consistency is somewhere between fine and coarse.  Pulse in enough olive oil until the crust holds together.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put the mahi on a buttered non-stick sheet pan and gently press the pecan mixture on top.
Bake at 425 until the fish just flakes easily with a fork. (Mahi should be cooked all the way through.)

Cut mango off of the pit and peel.  Put mango flesh in the food processor with a splash or two of the rum.

Warm gently while fish is cooking. 

Serve mahi in a puddle of warm puree.

Tuna

Most of the locally caught tuna sold in this area is yellowfin.  It is a dark red in color and, as long as it is fresh, it is of very high quality and suitable for most cooking methods, including serving it as sashimi or raw.  Ahi tuna is available in most good-quality supermarkets, and although it has been previously frozen it is also a good product.  If I have to buy ahi, I try to buy it when it is still frozen.  Ahi is a very bright red, just about the color of ripe watermelon.

From time to time, you may find bluefin tuna available for sale, although most of the locally caught bluefin is shipped overseas where it commands a very high price and is used almost exclusively in raw preparations.  Bluefin has a higher fat content and visible marbling.

Buy tuna that is bright pink or red in color.  Avoid brownish tuna or tuna with a rainbow-like pattern on its surface.  While some oily tuna may have a rainbow pattern, it usually signals some deterioration.

Best methods of cooking: grilling, pan-searing, eating raw as sashimi.  Avoid overcooking or deep-frying.  Most good-quality tuna is served rare to medium rare.  To avoid dryness when grilling or barbecuing, marinate tuna first or baste while cooking.  Tuna goes well with strong-flavored ingredients such as onion, garlic, ginger, chile, soy sauce, citrus, and fresh herbs.

Remove the bloodline, or the dark strip of meat along the side of the loin.  It has a stronger taste than the rest of the meat and its appearance is unappealing.

Pan-Seared Tuna with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce – Serves 6

3 T butter
1/3 c green onion
2 T ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz fresh shiitakes, stem removed, sliced
4 T soy sauce
1 1/2 c heavy cream
3 T lime juice
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
3 T oil
6 six-oz tuna steaks

Melt butter in skillet.  Add green onions, ginger, garlic, and shiitakes and sauté about 1 minute.  Add soy and heavy cream and simmer about 3 minutes.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro.  Keep warm.  (May be done ahead and reheated.)

Heat heavy skillet over high flame.  Add oil to pan.  Season tuna with salt and pepper and put in skillet.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Turn over steaks and cook to your liking.  Remove to platter.

Spoon sauce onto warmed plates.  Arrange tuna on top of sauce.  Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.

Serve with wasabi mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus, snow peas, or haricot vert.

 

 Grouper

There are many types of grouper species.  Black and red grouper are the most common available locally, but any grouper species is good eating.  Filets should be stark white and smell of seawater.  If there is any browning or discoloration at all, move along.  Most recipes that work with grouper will also work with mahi, halibut, striped sea bass, or snapper.  The strong-tasting skin should be removed before the fish is cooked.

Grouper BLT – Serves 6

6 six-oz grouper filets
Salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper
Cooking spray
1/2 c dry white wine
1 T roasted garlic puree (see below)
3 T water
2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 packages baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed
6 pieces thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cooked and cut into large bits
3-4 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 T fresh parsley, chopped

Season fish filets with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Thoroughly spray the top of each piece of fish.

Heat heavy skillet over high heat.  When pan is very hot, add fish, sprayed-side down.  Sear fish for 3-4 minutes or until browned, then carefully turn over.  Fish should be browned and crusty.  Let bottom of fish sear for about a minute, then add white wine to the pan and quickly cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.  Turn heat to low and let fish simmer until cooked through.  The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish.

While waiting for the fish to cook, put water and roasted garlic paste in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.  When water boils, start whisking in pieces of cold butter.  When one piece has been incorporated, add another piece until butter is used up and you have a nicely thickened sauce.  Remove from heat but keep in a warm place.  (This sauce will break if exposed to high heat.)

Mound raw spinach in the middle of a warmed plate.  Put fish on top of spinach and spoon sauce on top of and around fish.  Sprinkle bacon, tomatoes, and parsley around and on top of fish.

Roasted garlic puree:  Cut the top 1/2 inch off of a fist of garlic and drizzle olive oil inside the garlic.  Replace top of garlic and wrap in heavy-duty foil.  Put in a 275-degree oven for about an hour to an hour-and-a-half, or until garlic cloves are soft and browned.  Let cool.  Squeeze paste out of the skin and mash with a fork.

Sidebar - Tips for Buying Fresh Fish

1.  Never buy fish that smells fishy.  It should smell like the ocean. 

2.  Fish should be springy to the touch.

3.  When buying whole fish, make sure that the eyes are clear and that the body cavity smells clean.

4.  If the fish that you’re buying comes to your fishmonger frozen (such as some shrimp, some scallops, ahi tuna, salmon, or some mahi) it is better for you to buy it when it is still frozen.

5.  If you plan on eating tuna or other fish raw, make sure you tell that to the person selling you the fish.  They may direct you away from that type of fish.  Listen to them.

6.  Pack fish on ice and store it in a cooler on the way home, no matter how close to the market you live.  Any good market will provide you with free ice if you ask them.

7.  When storing filleted fish in your refrigerator, keep it in an airtight plastic bag and pack the bag in ice.  Do not let the fish get wet.
 
8.  Prepare and eat fish on the same day that you buy it.

BETH FLAHERTY has been the Chef/owner of Coriander’s Fine Foods & Catering since 1999.  Coriander’s is located at 17011 Hwy 17 North in Hampstead, North Carolina.  More information is available at www.corianderscatering.com.  You can also reach her at 910-270-3413.