Pan Seared Striped Bass topped with Sauteed Colossal Crab Meat, Roasted Red Beet Mash, Carrot and Zucchini Ribbons, Dragon Fruit Beurre Blanc
Chef Anthony Rametta from Scarlet’s Steaks & Seafood at Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort
About this dish: I chose this dish simply because it’s delicious! I have adopted the Mississippi Gulf Coast as my second home, and with the Gulf of Mexico as our front yard, (along with local farms) we have a “culinarians market” within reach. I think the dish should win because of the layers of flavor and different textures will make anyone fall in love with it.
Fish seasoning Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. coarse sea salt
- ½ tbsp., coarse black pepper
- 1 ½ tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp. granulated garlic
Fish Seasoning Directions:
- Blend all ingredients together well and set aside for use.
Roasted red beet mash ingredients:
- 1 ea. large red beet
- 5 ea. Medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
- 5 tbsp. Heavy cream, (more if needed, depending on your preference)
- 1 good tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. coarse salt
Roasted red beet mash directions:
- Clean beet by scrubbing with warm water to rid any loose dirt, and pat dry.
- Cover the beet in the olive oil, then the coarse salt and place into a preheated 400 degree oven.
- Roast until tender, usually about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once the beet has cooled, knock the salt crust off, peel skin, and cut into large cubes. Note: Be sure to wear gloves when handling the beet, or your hands will stain.
- Clean and skin Yukon gold potatoes, dice into ½ inch cubes, and boil in salted water until tender. Once tender, drain off water.
- Place diced roasted beet, boiled Yukon potatoes, heavy cream, and butter into a food processor and blend until desired smoothness.
Carrot and Zucchini ribbons ingredients
- 3 ea. large carrots,
- 2 ea. medium zucchini
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- ½ tsp. minced shallots
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
Carrot and Zucchini ribbons directions:
- Wash carrots and zucchini well. Using a potato peeler, cut ribbons from the length of the carrot and zucchini (do not use seeded part of zucchini). Place into water until you are ready to use.
- Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in sauté pan, and add shallot and garlic
- Quickly add carrot and zucchini ribbons. Be careful, the moisture from the carrots and zucchini will cause it to flame up a bit.
- Only allow to cook for about 30- 40 seconds and remove from heat. We are looking for that crunchy texture.
Dragon fruit beurre blanc
- ½ cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. Heavy cream
- 2 tbsp. Very finely minced shallots
- 5 ounces cold, unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup of dragon fruit, skinned and pureed
Dragon fruit beurre blanc directions:
- Place wine, lemon juice, heavy cream, shallots in a saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until liquid is reduced by about 75%, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add dragon fruit puree.
- Reduce heat to the lowest setting and whisk in about 2 cubes of butter.
- Keep butter moving until it melts.
- When melted, add a few more cubes, whisking continuously so butter emulsifies into the wine/lemon juice mixture.
- Continue to add butter, a few cubes at a time, until all of it has been incorporated and the sauce has a thick, luxurious texture, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Taste for seasonings and add a pinch of salt. Serve immediately
Striped bass ingredients:
- 4- 8 oz. portion Striped bass skin on, skin scored*
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- Fish seasoning (recipe above)
Striped bass directions:
- Using a very sharp knife, gently cut diagonal slits into the skin. Be careful not to cut too much into the meat.
- Season fish with seasoning. You can season both sides if desired.
- In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, heat 2 tbsps. of olive oil, not allowing to smoke but hot.
- Gently place fish skin side down into sauté pan. The idea is to cook the fish 2/3’s of the way on the skin side and flip it over for the last 1/3 of the cooking time. The rule for fish is about 7 to 8 minutes per inch of thickness, a little less if you like your fish more on the rare side.
Sautéed colossal crab meat ingredients:
- 12 oz. colossal crab meat (or any crab available)
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- Blackening seasoning to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch fresh herbs, chopped (thyme, rosemary, Italian parsley)
Sautéed colossal crab meat directions:
- In a saute pan over medium heat, heat butter to when it just starts to bubble.
- Add crab meat, blackening seasoning, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs
- Cook just to bring to temp. About 1 and a half minutes.
- Remove from heat and get ready to plate.
Plating directions:
- Using the serving dish of your choice, place the roasted beet mash to the center of the plate using a spoon make a swish motion.
- Place pan-seared striped bass (skin side up) on the thinner of the roasted beet mash.
- Place some of the carrot and zucchini ribbons next to the fish, careful not to cover fish
- Using a few of the other ribbons, roll them up and use a round plate for some garnish and to add dimension to the dish.
- Add the sautéed colossal crab to the top of the fish.
- You can either drizzle the dragon fruit beurre blanc over the top of the fish or serve it on the side.
- Serve, sit back and enjoy.
