Sunday, October 05, 2008
Food, Recipes

Sablefish—the other white meat


Make pan-seared sablefish with North Carolina bacon and Swiss chard

Photo/Melissa Libby & Associates

By Michael Mormino

As one of Whole Foods Market’s development chefs, my kitchen is right next door to one of our stores, so I have it pretty easy when it comes to shopping local. I’m always just a few steps away from fresh local and regional produce and the best of the season when it comes to seafood and meats.

Any day now, we’ll start seeing sablefish, a lesser-known fish with great flavor, taste and nutritional content.  White, flaky sablefish, sometimes referred to as black cod in other areas of the world, is chock full of beneficial omega-3 oils—as much as in king salmon, but without the strong, sometimes fishy flavor some folks associate with wild salmon.  You can use sablefish wherever you might find a recipe using other firm but flaky fish like sea bass or halibut, and recipes written for those fish are great substituted with sablefish.  

We don’t see a lot of sablefish on menus or in grocery stores, but you’ll see it this time of the year in Whole Foods market seafood cases, and it’s definitely worth trying for something different! It is plentiful in supply due to well-managed harvesting of the population. Sablefish is caught off the coasts of Alaska, Oregon and Washington from mid-March through mid-November, but much of the supply usually goes to Japan, where it is wildly popular.

My wife introduced me to a version of this Swiss chard recipe years ago, and it’s become a regular part of our dinners ever since.  It’s quick to make and pairs well with lots of seafood—halibut and sea bass to be sure, but even the humble North Carolina trout is tasty with this simple dish. Use Thompson Farms bacon, raised right here in Dixie, Ga., to add the perfect amount of smoky flavor, and try serving it over soft polenta or grit cakes made with local grits from Logan Turnpike Mill in North Georgia. 

We’re not into the deep chill of autumn but we’re far enough away from summer’s heat that I’d consider serving this dish with a white burgundy from France’s Cote d’Beaume or Chablis regions.  White burgundy is made from chardonnay grapes but is generally crisper and more complex than we normally associate with garden-variety chardonnays.  This wine has a depth of character that can stand alongside an oilier fish and the heavier, salty notes in smoked bacon.

Keep it local, keep it fresh, keep it simple. SP
Michael Mormino is the regional development chef for Whole Foods Market.

PAN-SEARED SABLEFISH WITH NORTH CAROLINA BACON AND SWISS CHARD

Ingredients:

• 2 sablefish filets, 6 to 7 ounces each
• Sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh coarse ground pepper
• Olive oil for searing
• 4 slices Thomas Farms bacon (in the butcher case), cut in matchstick-thin slices
• 2 teaspoons chopped shallot or ½ teaspoons chopped garlic, to taste
• 1 bunch Swiss or rainbow chard
• Twist of black pepper from the peppermill to taste
• ¼ to ½ cup fresh or low-sodium prepared chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• ½ teaspoon unsalted butter

As a general rule, many cuts of fish can be simply cooked for an average of 8 to 10 minutes total cooking time for each inch of thickness.  For thicker cuts, allow a proportionally longer cooking time. 

To sear in a pan, season fish with flaky kosher salt and pepper and cook on medium high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Allow the fish to rest uncovered in the pan while you finish the remainder of the meal on the stovetop.  This carryover cooking keeps the fish crisp on the outside and cooked just enough on the inside. 

For the chard, thoroughly wash, remove and julienne the leafy parts.  Cut the stems into thumb-length pieces. Blanch the stems in boiling salted water for a minute or so until lightly softened. Shock in ice water for 2 minutes to stop them from cooking.  Drain and set aside.

In a heavy skillet, brown the bacon until crisp.  Pour off most of the drippings, saving enough to sauté the greens and stems.  On high heat, sear the chard for 1 minute.  Add a twist of pepper from the peppermill to taste and a splash of white wine.  Add the chicken stock, and allow to reduce.  Add a small dot of butter to the pan just before serving, allowing it to slowly melt and coat the greens.