Pan Sauted Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce

April 15, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: Laura Messersmith — Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Fast and Fabulous”

The Set-up: Ina’s friend Frank is coming for dinner and she’s cooking up a feast in no time flat.

The Menu: Mustard Roasted Fish, Dill Fingerling Potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with Raspberry Sauce

0:24 – We start out with a little trip to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for dinner. I spy heavy cream, berries, and potatoes.

1:03 – Ina says she has two rules for fast dinners: 1. Really easy recipes and 2. Ingredients found in any typical grocery store.

2:41 – Naturally even though this dinner is coming together quickly Ina is still doing flowers.

3:13 – We’re back at the barn to work on dessert: Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with a homemade Raspberry Sauce.

4:29 – I’m always fascinated to see the ways cooks use pre-made ingredients to perk-up their recipes. In this case, an entire jar of seedless raspberry jam (Tiptree Farms in case you’re wondering) helps thicken the sauce.

5:46 – Now for the fromage blanc which Ina is thinning non-ironically with heavy cream to make it somewhere between the consistency of pudding and softened ice cream.

11:07 – Ina is plating the “layered dessert” – fromage blanc, berries, raspberry sauce – and it looks so fresh and delicious. Perfect for summer.

12:45 – Just realized that Ina is wearing a beautiful white shirt while cooking bright red berries – this woman is brave!

13:38 – Time to set the table and for a simple dinner Ina has quite a lot going on – a bowl of apples, candles, flowers. I’m lucky if I can remember to put the salt and pepper shakers out!

14:22 – We’re moving on to the Dill Fingerling Potatoes and Ina is cooking them by part steaming, part sautéing in a large dutch oven. I tried this once and it does work, but it takes some patience.

15:17 – Onward to the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and I can 100% vouch for cooking broccoli this way. It’s hands-down our favorite way to eat our veggies.

16:44 – The premise of this episode is that Ina is making a last minute dinner and usually I’m suspicious of so-called 30 minute meals, but so far I actually believe that this dinner could come together in an hour or so.

21:30 – Now for the main course: Mustard Roasted Fish, which involves cooking filets of red snapper under a sauce of crème fraiche and mustard.

22:19 – Ina says she got the recipe from the coat check attendant at her Parisian hairdresser. Naturally.

23:41 – The red snapper is in the oven with the broccoli and it’s time for a finishing sprinkle of fresh dill and salt on the potatoes. I love how golden and lightly crispy they look.

27:05 – Final touches on the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli – cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil, lemon zest. Sounds awesome.

28:26 – Dinner is plated up and ready to go just as Frank arrives right on time.

29:38 – He marvels at Ina’s ability to whip up dinner in under an hour, honey, she’s not the Barefoot Contessa for nothing!

Final Thoughts:
Ina touched on this briefly, but there’s a lot to be said for dishes that cook at the same temperature (ie. the fish and the broccoli.) Hello multi-tasking!

I love fresh herbs, but I’m a little concerned about the competing flavors (mustard, dill, basil, and parmesan?) I tend to stick to one flavor “palette” but maybe I’m not adventurous enough…

I’m with Ina on the need for great dinners that don’t take hours to make – the less prepping the better!

Lessons Learned:
I took some liberties with Ina’s Mustard Roasted Fish recipe to make my own version using greek yogurt instead of crème fraiche and cooking it on the stovetop in a pan, rather than in the oven. I discovered last year when I made Caesar Roasted Salmon (please forgive the less than awesome photos, I was still learning!) that roasted fish is pretty soft and with a creamy sauce there isn’t quite enough contrast in the texture to suit Mike and I. Pan sautéing the fish was my solve to that issue and since it only takes 5-6 minutes total it’s still a really quick meal.

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Creamy Mustard Sauce (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 (8-ounce) red snapper fillets, or other firm white fish
8 ounces Chobani 4% Plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons Gulden’s spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Maille Old-style whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon Coleman’s English mustard powder
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:
Combine the 4% Chobani yogurt, spicy brown mustard, whole grain mustard, English mustard powder, minced shallots, drained capers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Set aside while you cook the red snapper filets.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high-heat. Brush both sides of the red snapper filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the fish fillets skin side down in the hot skillet.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn with a flexible metal spatula when the cooked portion reaches about halfway up the filet and it’s easy to slide the spatula between the skin and the pan. The thickness of the filet will determine exactly how long, but the fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.

Serve immediately with the mustard sauce spooned over the top and a small sprinkle of capers.

Inspired by and adapted from Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Fish.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet (2 filets at a time), metal spatula, small cutting board, chef’s knife, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a tablespoon for mixing. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Pan sautéing is my favorite way to cook fish because it adds great flavor and texture and in this case the red snapper works perfectly. It’s mild so the mustard sauce really shines – a little bit spicy and creamy it’s a perfect foil. The sauce pretty much enhanced everything I’ve served it with and I’m already planning new ways to incorporate it with other recipes.

Grilled Tuna Rolls

February 04, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Episode: “Barefoot to Go”

The Set-up: Ina is bringing a day’s worth of meals to her friends Rob Marshall and John DeLuca who are holed up in the Hamptons editing their movie, Nine. Alas DD-L does not make an appearance.

The Menu: Grilled Tuna Rolls, Lentil Vegetable Soup, Homemade Granola Bars

0:55 – Ina says she offered to bring Rob and John “take-out” but she suspects they won’t call, so she’s surprising them with breakfast and lunch.

1:06 – First up: Homemade Granola Bars and Ina is toasting the oatmeal, shredded coconut and slivered almonds. I bet the kitchen smells fantastic…

2:19 – Granola is such a tricky thing – it seems like it should be so healthy and yet these bars have honey, butter, AND brown sugar. Not that I’m complaining exactly.

3:41 – Ina always uses the most enormous glass mixing bowls and I’m jealous that she must never worry about whether there’s enough mixing space.

4:22 – I am 100% on board with the dried apricots and cranberries in this mix, but dates – not so much.

5:03 – These granola bars look crazy sticky and delicious. May need to make a batch.

5:50 – We flash over to an adorable cedar shake cottage that we will from now on call The Editing Bunker and Rob seems to be playing “Bad Cop” insisting that they power through without breakfast. Mean!

6:34 – Back to Ina as she cuts the granola bars and individually wraps them. Because she’s perfect.

9:25 – Ina has arrived with her breakfast basket to surprise Rob “Bad Cop” Marshall and John “Good Cop” DeLuca, who actually let their crew stop for a moment to eat.

11:37 – Back to the barn to make the Lentil Vegetable Soup for lunch in their “Day of Barefoot.”

12:02 – What is it about anything that starts with a base of sautéed onions, garlic, and leeks? Sign me up!

13:28 – If I’m not mistaken this is the same base as the recipe for French Lentils with just a lot more chicken stock to turn it into soup. Very tricky, Ina.

14:33 - Ina is using her favorite French green lentils (aka lentils de Puy) and I 100% agree with her on their texture being better – maybe because they’re smaller they seem less mushy?

19:44 – Onward to the Grilled Tuna Rolls which actually aren’t grilled, but cooked in a really hot sauté pan.

20:13 – Pro Tip #1: Use a dry sauté pan, any oil put in the pan will burn before it’s hot enough to sear the tuna.

21:47 – Now for the dressing, which is soy, sesame, and lime based. I love limes, but juicing them is the worst.

22:50 – Ina is so right about avocados I always have to buy them a little under-ripe a few days in advance and they are prone to “schmut[zing], a technical term.”

23:32 – Salad assembly time and this looks so, so delicious.

27:10 – Can I tell you a secret? When she first started making this I was expecting sushi, but it’s definitely a variation on the classic lobster roll. Should I be embarrassed?

28:09 – The soup is done and Ina has arrived at The Editing Bunker, which curiously involves some sort of soothing infinity pool in the backyard, for an al fresco lunch.

29:28 – Rob “Bad Cop” Marshall has switched hats to “Good Cop” and tells Ina that he is surprising her with a sneak peek of the movie trailer. She is adorably excited to have such a treat further endearing her to me forever. Love!

Final Thoughts:

Having a seriously hard time deciding which of these recipes to try – so many good ones!

Granola Bars seem so simple to make; I think I’m going to challenge myself to develop my own recipe.

I know I’ve said this before, but Ina has the coolest friends.

Lessons Learned:
I had never cooked a tuna steak before, so I was a little nervous, but all the more reason to make Grilled Tuna Rolls. As it turns out it’s actually pretty simple and the rest of the recipe is just prepping a few vegetables and mixing the dressing. That said, I have a confession to make: I completely forgot to put in the sesame seeds. So lesson learned, review the ingredient list carefully so you don’t leave something out! Thankfully the sesame seeds aren’t totally essential. Can we chalk it up to brain freeze? Whoops!

Tuna – As it turns out the skills needed to cook a filet mignon are the same for a tuna steak. Really hot sauté pan - I let it heat over a high flame for 4-5 minutes – a seasoned piece of fish and just a little patience. The major difference is the length of time per side: you will literally need 1 minute on each to have a perfectly seared tuna steak. Crunchy and golden on the outside and beautifully crimson on the inside. If you watch carefully while it’s searing you can actually see the cooked part creep toward the inside, so no excuses for over cooking!

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, definitely. I used a medium (8”) stainless steel sauté pan, a large cutting board, chef’s knife, medium mixing bowl, microplane grater, mixing spoon, pastry brush and measuring spoons. That’s it!

The Verdict:
The Grilled Tuna Rolls (technically seared, but who’s counting?) sounded so good that I skipped the hotdog buns and just went with it as a plated salad. The flavors straddle a really cool crossroad between a sushi roll (tuna, avocado, wasabi) and guacamole (lime, red onion, avocado again) and successfully balance richness, spice, and acid. Normally I’m suspicious of so-called “entrée salads” but this one really is a meal. I can’t wait to make this again soon!

Lemon Pasta with Shrimp & Roasted Tomatoes

October 27, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

I started making a version of this recipe about a year ago when on a sleepy Sunday afternoon after several days with out a grocery run I had lemons, shrimp, tomatoes and pasta on hand and not much else. My thought process went something like – pasta+lemon+shrimp = good, pasta+tomatoes+shrimp = good, but pasta+lemon+tomatoes+shrimp = ????

I decided it was worth a shot and the results were encouraging enough that I kept making it; experimenting to get just the right combination of ingredients, process and flavors.

Then this summer Mike and I took a little Labor Day weekend excursion to Tribeca to scout out Grand Banks – a little slice of Nantucket just off Pier 25 – and have some dinner. We decided to try out Locanda Verde and I had the double benefit of trotting out joking references to my “friend,” Bob DeNiro, and tasting a real chef’s version of the pasta dish I had been dreaming of, but never quite achieving. It was in a word, heavenly.

As I ate I took careful mental notes of the flavors and textures, and on our subway ride home jotted down all the ingredients I could identify; determined that I’d get it right this time. Further motivation? The dish was one of the evening’s specials, so if I wanted to taste it again I’d have to recreate it at home. And so, I give you Spaghetti with Lemon, Shrimp & Breadcrumbs, a taverna-style recipe that you can make in your own kitchen.

Lemon Pasta with Shrimp & Roasted Tomatoes (serves 4)

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 pound (31 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound thin spaghetti (I like Barilla)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh, julienned basil
2 tablespoons fresh, minced parsley

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper on a sheet pan. Spread them out into one layer roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and just starting to blister. Turn halfway through the cooking time.

While the tomatoes are roasting, peel and devein the shrimp. Spread in one layer on a sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the tomatoes are nearly finished, add the sheet pan with the shrimp to the oven and roast for 2 to 3 minutes. The shrimp are done when they begin to turn pink and are firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, cook the thin spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the package directions, about 6 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, and lemon juice and pour this over the pasta. Toss well to coat the pasta.

Add the roasted tomatoes and shrimp to the bowl and gently toss. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh basil, parsley, and breadcrumbs.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, with a little organization. I used two baking sheets, one large sauté pan, one large pot, a colander, and a large bowl. I also used a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, a microplane zester, measuring spoons and a liquid measuring cup. Tongs and a spatula will also be very helpful.

The Verdict:

I was surprised when I first started making this dish how well the flavors compliment each other and I’ll be honest – I was pretty pleased to see it on the menu of an actual restaurant. Mike and I are both big fans of the combination – garlic, lemon, a little heat from the red pepper – the tomatoes and shrimp are a little sweet once they’ve been roasted and the overall effect is of a complete meal in one dish. Yum!