When he attended the 1997 Workshop, Florida chef Pascal Oudin coated California salmon with a pecan crust, seared it, and paired it with a carrot emulsion. Brian has adapted the recipe to catfish, to give the dish some Floridian style, and replaced the crust with a toasted pecan garnish to make less work for home cooks. Serve with sautéed spinach or other wilted greens. On another occasion, prepare the silky carrot emulsion for grilled halibut or sea bass.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Carrot Emulsion
Preparation
Step 1
For the carrot emulsion: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots, ginger, and curry powder. Sauté until the shallots are softened but not colored, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry, bring to a simmer, and reduce until almost dry. Add the carrot juice and simmer briskly until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids with a wooden spoon to extract all their flavor. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with salt. Keep warm.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the ginger and sauté for about 1 minute to release its fragrance. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Season with salt and keep warm.
Step 3
Season the fish all over with salt and pepper. Set 2 nonstick skillets over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil to each. When the oil is almost smoking, put the fish in the skillets, flesh side down. Sear until browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook on the second side until it has browned and the catfish just flakes when probed with a fork, about 5 minutes longer, lowering the heat as needed to prevent burning.
Step 4
To serve, spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce onto each of 6 warm dinner plates. Top with a catfish fillet. Spoon some of the buttered pecans over the fish. Serve immediately.
Step 5
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another full-bodied white wine.
