Recipe: Seared Pink Snapper on Julienned Peas and Grilled Summer Squash with Brown Butter Kohlrabi and Fennel Slaw - Modern Farmer

Recipe: Seared Pink Snapper on Julienned Peas and Grilled Summer Squash with Brown Butter Kohlrabi and Fennel Slaw

Summer squash is in abundance this time of year. Here's a delicious way to put it to use.

This recipe is part of the Just Picked series, a partnership between Modern Farmer + Foodterra.

Seared Pink Snapper on Julienned Peas and Grilled Summer Squash with Brown Butter Kohlrabi and Fennel Slaw

Here, crispy fish is served with a riot of grilled and raw vegetables. A tangy tomato vinaigrette and a drizzle of rich brown butter round out the flavors. You’ll need a mandolin to slice the kohlrabi and fennel into slivers.

  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter, (cut into tablespoons)
  • 1 kohlrabi bulb, (thinly sliced on a mandolin and cut into matchsticks)
  • 1 fennel bulb, (layer removed, thinly shaved on a mandolin (reserve fronds for garnish))
  • 4 ounces fresh peas in the pod, (strings removed, cut lengthwise into matchsticks)
  • Olive oil, (as needed)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette ((recipe below))
  • 1 summer squash, (cut in half crosswise, each half cut into wedges)
  • 1 fillet pink snapper (about 7 ounces), (skin side scaled and scored in a crosshatch pattern)
  • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
  • 1–1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh chervil
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • Basil Oil for finishing
  1. Slowly melt butter in a small heavy-bottomed, light-colored pot over low heat until it foams, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, frequently scraping sides and bottom of pot to prevent burning, until butter smells toasted and nutty and brown flecks begin to form, about 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine kohlrabi and fennel in a bowl. Put peas to a second bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Make the vinaigrette. Set all three bowls aside.
  3. Coat squash wedges with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fleshy sides until some brown spots and grill marks develop, 2–3 minutes per side.
  4. Preheat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season both sides of snapper with salt and pepper. Coat the hot pan with olive oil followed by the snapper, skin side down. Cook for about 4 minutes, then flip the fish and cook for 2–3 minutes more.
  5. While fish cooks, toss chives, chervil, lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons brown butter with the fennel and kohlrabi; season with pepper to taste. Toss summer squash with the peas.
  6. To plate the dish, start with the summer squash and peas followed by the snapper. Top fish with kohlrabi and fennel slaw and drizzle with cherry tomato vinaigrette and a little basil oil. Garnish with roughly chopped fennel fronds.

 

Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1–3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar ((we used O Citrus Champagne Vinegar))
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 5–7 cherry tomatoes, (cut into wedges)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh lemon balm
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together shallots, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Stir in tomatoes, lemon balm, and dill. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Subscribe
Notify of

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Related