Sautaced Bass with Mint Pesto and Spiced Carrots

So tonight we cooked the fancy fish dish. We didn’t use bass, but frozen dover sole. The fillets almost fell apart in the cooking process (so excuse the ugly plating), but it was still a delicious dish nonetheless. We weren’t too fond of the carrots cooked in chicken broth though… maybe something like white wine or vegetable broth would have been better. The mint pesto is delicious! So who designated this the week of pesto?

Sautéed Bass with Mint Pesto and Spiced Carrots

Recipe from Bon Appetit. This will be the last recipe we make from the April ‘07 issue… seeing as Taylor made a mess with the fish and spilled raw fish juice all over the magazine, so now it is contaminated. Ooops. Some good recipes in there too!
Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
Pesto:
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup lightly toasted shelled unsalted pistachios
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
coarse kosher salt

Fish:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 6-8oz striped bass fillets (with or without skin)

Spiced Carrots:
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
12 ounces medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
For pesto: blend mint leaves, pistachios, olive oil, and garlic in processor until coarse puree forms. Season with coarse salt. Can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill, bring to room temperature before using.

For fish: combine olive oil, mint, and thyme in small bowl. Spread herb mixture all over both sides of fish fillets. Cover and refrigerate fish at least 3 hours and up to 5 hours (yeah right… we marinated for maybe 30 minutes tops).

For spiced carrots: Stir all seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill or mortar and grind coarsely.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, crushed red pepper, and ground seeds; sauté until carrots begin to brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Add broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 large nonstick skillets over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook until browned on both sides and just opaque in center, about 5 minutes total.

Divide carrots and any juices among 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 fish fillet. Spoon pesto over and serve.

Sautaced Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Almonds

Good brussels sprouts? Isn’t that an oxymoron? You might think so, but then you haven’t tried these.

This post is hereby redemption from the barrage of sweets I’ve posted in the past few weeks. My apologies. I am not trying to put anyone in a sugar coma… but sometimes the desserts are the only part of the meal worth posting.

From Bon Appetit: “A dish to convert all the brussels sprout haters,” and that is truly what it is. The trick is how you cut them, then how you cook them. Separating the leaves and tossing the cores spreads out the brussels sprout flavor, making them less like the hunk of green-ness that makes children cringe, and more like a fresh and delicious and sweet (yes sweet!) salad.

Trust me on this one. Don’t allow yourself to eat those mouth-watering Molten Chocolate Cakes until you first eat your brussels sprouts. And I promise you, you’ll like them. I may even try feeding these to my dad… the man who will not eat anything green save maybe iceberg lettuce.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Almonds

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
12 large brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, leaves separated from cores, cores discarded.
1/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios or sliced toasted almonds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir about 30 seconds. Add brussels sprout leaves and nuts, and sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Realize that you really do love brussels sprouts.