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SEARED MAHI MAHI WITH
GARLIC-SESAME CRUST
Served with Lime-Ginger Beurre Blanc
Serves 4
By Chef Jean-Marie Josselin, PACIFIC CAFE, Kapaa, Kauai; Hawaii (From: Great Chefs of Hawaii, p. 100) and a telephone call to Chef Josselin clear up some confusion and update recipe.
The garlic-sesame crust seals the fish fillets as they cook, and they emerge succulent and flavorful. The golden brown fillets are beautifully presented on a bed of stir-fried julienne zucchini, yellow summer squash, carrots, and bean sprouts. The bed is surrounded with a dramatic lime-ginger sauce dotted with dark oyster sauce, and sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
3/4 cup dry white
wine
2 1/2 tsp. minced
fresh ginger
1/2 cup heavy (whipped)
cream
1 cup (2 sticks)
cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt and freshly
ground pepper
Four 7-oz. Mahi
Mahi fillets
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups (8 oz.)
white sesame seeds *
5 tsp. minced
garlic
1/2 cup (1 stick)
unsalted butter at room temperature
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 to 2 medium-small
zucchinis
1 to 2 medium-small
yellow squash
. . .cut into
2 X 1/4-inch julienne strips
1 to 2 medium
carrots
. . .cut into 2 X
1/4-inch julienne strips
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. water
2 to 3 Maranga taro
tubers* or potatoes, peeled and processed with a
Curler/Slicer**
or cut into very fine julienne strips
1/4 cup Oyster
Sauce (prepared, bottled)
1/2 cup red
julienne ginger (prepared)
1/2 to 1 cup of
Japanese mung bean sprouts with leafy tops
Black sesame seeds
* Maranga taro has a purplish-red coloration at its stem-end as well as flecks of the same color throughout its meat. It can be purchased only from a few sources. We found it at Jungle Jim's on the north side of Cincinnati.
** The Curler/Slicer is a Japanese appliance that cuts fine long curls from assorted vegetables and fruits. Since few of you are likely to possess such a device, it is suggested that you hand-cut the taro/potatoes into very fine juliennes.
To make the sauce: In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the wine and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add the cream and continue cooking until reduced to 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time. Remove the pan from heat as necessary to keep the sauce just warm enough to melt each piece of butter. Whisk in the lime juice, salt, and pepper. Prepare up to 1 hour in advance and keep warm over tepid water.
To prepare the fish: Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the sesame seed, garlic, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread one side of the fillets evenly with this mixture.
To char the fish: In a large saute pan or skillet, over medium-high heat, heat the oil and cook the fillets on each side for 4 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. With tongs or a spatula, lift the fish out of the pan and place on paper towels to drain.
Saute or stir-fry the vegetables: In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Stir continuously over high heat for 30 seconds. Sprinkle on the water and reduce the heat. Continue stirring for 2 or 3 minutes or until all the liquid is evaporated and the squash is crisp tender. Add the butter, salt and pepper and toss until the butter is melted.
To Assemble: Divide the vegetables in a mound on each warmed dinner plates. Place a fillet on the mound of vegetables. Pour the lime-ginger sauce on the plate around the base of the vegetables and fish. Place the oyster sauce in a squeeze bottle and place dime-size dots in the sauce around the fish. Sprinkle lightly toasted black sesame seeds over the fish and the sauce.
To Garnish: Place a mound of potatoes (prepared as described below) on top of the fish. Lay 1/4 cup bean sprouts, gathered into a neat bunch (leaves at one end, stems side by side) across the top mound of potatoes. Place 1/8 cup of loosely gathered, drained red ginger across the middle of the bunch of bean sprouts.
Recommended Side Dish: Serve 1/2 to 1 cup mound of buttered rice in a small side dish. Garnish top of the rice with a little pinch of chopped parsley and black sesame seeds.
HINTS FOR DEEP FAT FRYING: Use enough oil to cover what you are cooking, but use a pot that is deep enough to contain the bubbling and foaming. Don't fill any deep fat frying container more than 1/2 full. Immerse foods slowly so that you can control the bubbling, which will subside as moisture cooks out.
For most cooking purposes the proper temperature for oil is between 355 degrees and 375 degrees (Moderately Hot).
If you don't use a thermometer, the temperature will be right when a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns brown in about 60 seconds. The oil is too hot when it begins to smoke. Foods tend to become oil soaked when cooked at too low a temperature. They don't form a crust quickly. Foods deep fried slowly, also have a tendency to stick. Of course, foods cooked too fast will be overdone on the outside and raw on the inside. Idaho potatoes give best results in cooking ability and taste.
DEEP FRYING SHREDDED POTATO NESTS or BUNCHES: Choose mature, medium sized potatoes (one small-medium potato makes one 3-inch diameter X 2-inch somewhat compacted parcel. Peal and shred the potatoes into 1/8-inch wide (or narrower) strips. Dry the shredded potatoes well in a cloth or paper towel.
Form shredded potatoes into palm size amounts of somewhat compacted, shredded or thinly sliced julienne potatoes.
Preheat vegetable oil to moderately hot (about 365 degrees). Use enough oil to cover the potatoes. Fry for about 3 minutes. They should be crispy.
For the first nest or ball, plunge into the hot oil to cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden brown. Let it rest on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
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