Archives for posts with tag: striped bass

Striped Bass with Summer Beans and Heirloom Tomatoes
Fish w Green Beans and Tomatoes_Web

This recipe is from The New Greenmarket Cookbook, which is near and dear to my heart. This labor of love was written by my former manager and mentor Gabrielle Langholtz, who is also the editor of Edible Manhattan and former editor of Edible Brooklyn. It is a compilation of seasonal recipes from New York’s best chefs and even some of the farmers who grow our produce, needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! Fortunately, as someone with close ties to Greenmarket, even eight years after my departure, I was able to purchase one of the first copies at the book release party. Very exciting! It was spring when I first thumbed through the cookbook, but I, of course, longingly turned to summer’s recipes. So, the minute I saw the season’s first green beans and tomatoes at the market I made this dish.

I couldn’t find stripped bass that day so I substituted it with halibut. Just make sure to use a thick(ish) white fish.

2 TB. olive oil
4 5-ounce fillets striped bass
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium shallot, peeled and sliced
1 TB. thyme leaves
2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced, juices reserved
salt and pepper to taste
half a lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a 12-inch oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom. Season the fish with salt and pepper and place in the pan, skin side down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Transfer to the oven until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat another 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, shallot and thyme. Add the tomato and its juices and cook until the tomato stews down, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the stewed tomatoes and green beans in a shallow bowl and top with the stripped bass. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Corn on the cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

Isn’t summer funny? My memories of summer as a kid are of endless days playing in the yard, swimming in backyard pools, riding waves at the beach and catching fireflies. It was the ultimate season of slack and it felt like it went on forever. But as an adult, summer flies by and is packed with planned events and activities. Most everything is fun, but there’s no slacking anymore….

Summer ‘s bounty also provides us with all of the ingredients we need to eat right and get healthy. Almost every fresh vegetable and fruit are ready for harvest and many of them can be enjoyed raw or with minimal preparation. Everything tastes great. Is there anything better than eating a peach so ripe that you have to stand over the sink or risk ruining your shirt? Summer even makes exercising seem like a great idea. I like to run, and my favorite time  to run is on a summer morning when the sun is up early and the temperature is still a bit cool. At the same time there are so many excuses and temptations in the summer. There’s ice cream, fruit crisps and crumbles, hamburgers, beer, rose and gin and tonics. How can you resist? You can’t….

So, the best you can do is embrace the season. Eat as well as you can during the week and indulge on the weekends and during vacation. Hopefully, these summer recipes are just the right amount of healthy, while still being delicious and fast enough to prepare that you have time to go out and catch some fireflies…

Luscious peaches you can indulge in guiltlessly

Luscious peaches you can indulge in guilt-free

Meal #1: Striped Bass with Green Beans and Tomatoes + Corn on the Cob
Meal #2: Citrus Asian Marinated Chicken Thighs + Sesame Broccoli
Meal #3: Salmon with Peach and Tomato Salsa + Corn on the Cob
Meal #4: Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Tomato + Kale Caesar Salad

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

cilantro – 1 bunch
basil – 1 bunch
thyme – 1 bunch
limes – 2-3
lemons – 2
orange – 1
green beans – 1/2 lb.
scallions – 1 bunch
shallot – 1
red onion – 1
heirloom tomatoes – 3 large
cherry or grape tomatoes – 1 pint
peach (or nectarine) – 1
corn – 1 per person for 2 meals
Tuscan kale – 1 bunch
broccoli – 1 lb.
gnocchi – 1 to 2 packages, depending on size
sesame seeds (if you don’t already have them)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
reduced sodium soy sauce (if you don’t already have it)
skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs – 2 lb.
chicken sausage – 9 oz. (about 3 links)
striped bass fillets – 4 5-ounces each
salmon – 1 1/2 lb.