April 12 and 13 2012 Black Cod Caught by Captain Hammerdinger
SLO Fresh Catch, Margie Hurd, 805-481-5827 Email: slofreshcatch@gmail.com http://www.slofreshcatch.com 1748 Deer Canyon Road, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Today’s fish is Black Cod Provided by Tognazzini’s Dockside Fish Market and Caught by Captain Mark Hammerdinger
Sablefish population levels are moderate, and no overfishing is
occurring. Sablefish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Most of the total world catch of sablefish comes from Alaska. Oregon,
Washington, and California generally accounts for less than one-third
of the U.S. harvest.”
Excerpted from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
SUBSCRIBER KAT YEUNG’S DOG SURFS AND WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE TRIBUNE LAST WEEK WHEN HE WENT MISSING—HE IS NOW REUNITED WITH HIS OWNER
The following is from Kat Yeung, CSF subscriber since Fall 2011: “The barrel shot is pretty dark since it’s during sunset in Santa Cruz Hooks. But I fell in a hole and Saint caught this barrel and jumped out when it closed out like he knew, I was told by the photographer, but my head is right behind the crest as I was getting up.”
So the Asians really know how to cook this fish…I tried this recipe and it is now our favorite Black Cod recipe. It steams in an aromatic broth of garlic, scallions, and ginger to infuse the fish and keep it incredibly moist.
Steamed Black Cod with Soy-Chili Sauce (4 servings)
1 head garlic, 3 of the cloves sliced and the remaining halved
6 scallions trimmed, 2 cut into 2 inch pieces, 4 thinly sliced
1 5 inch piece fresh ginger, cut in matchstick size pieces
½ lemon
4 Black Cod fillets
1 T. vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Serrano chili sliced
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
Combine halved head of garlic pieces with 2 inch pieces of scallions, 1 T. ginger and 4 cups of water in a steamer pot. Squeeze lemon half over the water and add the lemon to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer ¼ c. of the liquid to a small bowl: set aside for the sauce. Add 2 cups of water to the pot and return to boil. Set aside ¼ c sliced scallions and 1 T. ginger. Line steamer basket with parchment paper. Scatter half of sliced garlic, half of remaining scallions, and half of remaining ginger on top of parchment paper, spreading evenly. Coat fish with oil, season with salt. Scatter remaining garlic, scallions, and ginger over fish. Steam until fish it’s cooked through 12-18 minutes.Sauce: Stir reserved scallions, ginger and soy sauce, sliced chili, and chopped cilantro into reserved steamed liquid to make sauce. Transfer fish to platter. Drizzle with sauce.
OTHER WAYS WITH BLACK COD
Black Cod is extremely versatile. Its fat content makes it a prime candidate for smoking; this also makes it forgiving to the novice cook. The fat acts as a buffer against overcooking. But sablefish shines in other ways, too:
As sushi, or crudo. Like the fatty toro tuna or salmon belly at sushi restaurants? You will love sablefish raw. It is also luxurious dressed at the table with a splash of Meyer lemon and sea salt. Don’t use sablefish for ceviche, however — that dish goes best with lean fish. On the grill. Again, the fat is a savior here. It lets you slap a sable fillet on a hot grill without worrying too much about it turning into fish jerky if you look away for too long. But it’s fine texture means you should use a cage or at least have the grill well oiled.Pan roasted. Just a simple sauté lets you savor the depth of sablefish, which offers a richer mouth feel and longer finish than a lean fish does.
Confit. Yes, poached slowly in olive or some other kind of oil. Think you like slow, oil-poached tuna? You will love sablefish.
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