Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 7-8 oz filets of gulf black grouper, set on a paper towel in the fridge to extract any extra moisture while preparing other ingredients
- 1 medium sized butternut squash
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 quarts of chopped, washed kale leaves, stems removed
- 1 cup golden raisins soaked in 1 cup warm water with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar (soak for 1 hour and then drain off any liquid)
- ¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts
- about 1 cup brown butter (Make with 2 sticks of unsalted butter, simmer on medium-low heat until it smells nutty and is a light-medium brown in color. Cool slightly, then strain.)
- 1-2 tbsp of aged balsamic vinegar
- neutral cooking oil
- 4 lemon wedges
- salt and pepper
First you will need to prepare the butternut squash for the purée. Cut 1 medium sized squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Rub with a neutral oil and season with a little salt. Roast in a 400 F degree oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. Once cooled, remove skin and place in the blender with the 2 cups heavy cream and blend until smooth. Add a little water if it's too thick. Season with salt to taste. I like to start with 1 teaspoon of salt first and then add more until it tastes seasoned enough. Pour into a small saucepan and keep it warm until ready to serve.
Prepare your grill or grill pan and rub your fish with some neutral oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat turning your fish on the same side at a 90-degree angle once to achieve beautiful grill marks. Leave the other side raw. Set raw side down in a pan with a little melted butter, and set aside while you finish preparing and heating the other ingredients.
In a medium sized saucepan, start with a little bit of oil, and get it warm. Add your kale and sauté until kale is hot and add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the drained raisins, pine nuts, and brown butter. Finish with 1-2 tbsp of aged balsamic vinegar. Set aside on the stove while you finish your fish in the oven.
Now you will finish your fish in the oven until it's warmed throughout. The USDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145 F degrees. Once it has turned opaque and is flaky, it's done!
Warm your bowls so your food doesn’t get cold! Then start with a nice spoonful of butternut purée down first, place your sautéed kale mixture down next, along with some of the butter, and top with finished fish.
Serve with a lemon wedge.
Enjoy!
We love grilling fish at Alleia Restaurant. Here we pair lovely gulf black grouper with some sweet and savory, along with some nice toastiness from the pine nuts and brown butter. Brown butter is one of my all time favorite ingredients! And this dish is a great weekday meal.