We had a birthday celebration in our house this week! It was my husband’s birthday so I wanted to make him a special dinner to celebrate. I love birthdays! who doesn’t really? Well I guess as we get older we stop counting the years, right? Heck, I even started doing what my mother has been doing for years. That is to start counting backwards after you hit a certain age. I won’t say what age that starts at!! You can determine what age that is for you. All I know is that I am getting younger every year. I can hear my mom laughing right now if she reads this because she knows it is true. I think with all the backward counting she is now younger than me!
Even if we don’t like birthdays or getting older each year, that doesn’t mean we have to stop celebrating all together. After all, it is fun to get family and/or friends together and celebrate while enjoying good food & drinks. It can be challenging to think about going out to eat when your birthday falls on a weekday. So, why not stay in and make it a special night. It doesn’t have to be expensive or anything elaborate but it is nice to make the birthday boy/girl feel special and feel like you slaved all day over a gourmet meal just for them. I certainly don’t mind if someone wants to fuss over me and make me a special meal. Hint, hint!!
With our busy schedule I had to first run around for my kids’ schedules. I then had to get home, make dinner and dessert and get it onto the table sometime before the kids had to go to bed. I felt like I was in a marathon of some sorts. It almost looked like the Tasmanian devil ran through my kitchen! or at least that was how it felt. But, I sure had fun making his birthday dinner and trying out another new recipe. What I enjoyed even more than making the meal was watching how everyone enjoyed eating it. Even though my kitchen had seen better days, it cleaned up nicely, it is still standing and ready for the some more cooking.
So, what was I supposed to make for this at-home, gourmet meal? I decided to use the Striper fish (a.k.a. Striped Bass) that my brother-in-law caught. He has gone on some fishing trips in the Atlantic Ocean recently and has given me some beautiful pieces of fish to cook. I am having fun coming up with new recipes to use the fish he is catching. He has given me the Striper, some Yellow Fin Tuna (which I will be making soon) as well as some Longfin Tuna, which I recently posted some recipes using that fish.
I marinaded and then grilled the Striper. I then served it over a Roasted Corn Puree that was rich, velvety and slightly sweet. Then topped with Roasted Asparagus and the grilled fish. Last but not least, I topped the fish with some baby arugula that I dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. It was very easy to make, minimal prep & cook time and best of all so delicious. It was truly a decadent dish and perfect for a celebration. Happy Birthday to my husband and to anyone celebrating this month!
Now, on to thinking of what to make with the Yellow Fin Tuna my brother-in-law caught and gave to me. Stay tuned!!
Mangia! Enjoy!
Striper over Roasted Corn Puree & Asparagus
Ingredients
4 (4-6oz), Striper Fish
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1/4 Cup, Tablespoon, Olive Olive
1/3 Cup, White Wine
1 Tablespoon, Fresh Thyme, chopped
S&P
Sweet Corn Puree:
3 Cups, Fresh Corn Kernels
1 Tablespoon, Butter, melted
1 Shallot, sliced
1 Medium, Carrot, chopped into small pieces
1 Tablespoon, Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cups, Chicken Broth, low-sodium
S&P
2 Tablespoons, Light Cream
Roasted Asparagus:
1 Bunch of Fresh Asparagus, trimmed
1 Tablespoon, Olive Oil
S&P
1/2 Lemon, zest & juice
Balsamic Glaze, to drizzle on finished plate.
Baby Arugula
S&P
1/2 Lemon, Juice
3 Tablespoons, Olive Oil
Splash White Wine Vinegar or Champagne Vinegar
Instructions
Striper-Grilling
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees.
Dressing the Arugula: In a small bowl, whisk together Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Vinegar, S&P and mix well. Set aside until you are ready to plate everything. When it is time to plate your meal, place the baby arugula into a separate bowl and slowly start to spoon some of the dressing over the arugula. Toss to coat the lettuce and keep adding as much or as little dressing as you like.
Striper-Marinating
Marinate the fish: in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest & lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, S&P and white wine. Place fish into a baking dish and pour the marinade over the fish to cover. Place fish in fridge for approx. 20 minutes.
Roasted Corn
Roast the Corn: Spray a baking sheet and add your corn. Spread the corn out to a single layer. Add the sliced shallots and carrot. Pour the melted butter over the veggies and drizzle with olive oil to lightly coat. Season with S&P. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, just until the corn starts to turn a nice golden brown color. Remove from oven and place everything on the baking sheet into a blender or food processor. Blend together with the olive oil, chicken broth and light cream. Taste it and then add S&P to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Roast the Asparagus: Spray a baking sheet, place the Asparagus onto the pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and season with S&P. Roast in oven (same oven temp, 425 Degrees) until slightly soft and the asparagus start to turn a little golden in color, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven.
Cook the Stiper: On the stove, over Medium-High heat, add a drizzle of olive oil to your pan. Remove the fish from the marinade, letting most of it drip off the fish (to avoid burning). Place the fish into the pan and cook about 3 minutes on each side.
Plating: Place a large ladle of corn puree on the bottom of your bowl. Making a fun pattern (any pattern you like), drizzle the Balsamic Glaze on the puree. Add a layer of your Roasted Asparagus on top of the corn puree. Then place your fish onto the asparagus. Top with your baby arugula.
Mangia! Enjoy!
Tips
I keep fresh corn in my freezer that I prepped at the end of the summer. That way I have fresh corn readily available to me all Winter long. If you do not have fresh corn you can substitute with frozen. Just be sure to thaw it out. If you do use fresh corn, it tends to be very sweet on its own. If you are using frozen corn you can also add a couple of teaspoons of honey or agave to the corn puree to sweeten it up a bit. Just add it to the blender when making the puree.
I added a touch of light cream to my puree. It helped to make a smoother puree. You don’t have to add the cream if you want to keep it lighter or you can also use milk if you like. Just be careful not too add too much liquid, you do want a thick puree.
When marinading fish, don’t marinade much longer than 30 minutes. A good fish marinade consists of oil, some spices or herbs and then an acid (like the lemon). The acid helps to break down the meat, allowing the marinade with your oil and spices/herbs to really flavor the fish. If left on too long, it can start to breakdown the fish and it could become tough.
Breaded Striped
Another great meal I made with this fish was a breaded & oven baked Striper. I made it like this for my kids. It was very easy to make and quick to cook. A nice healthy option instead of frozen fish sticks. I coated them in egg then a mixture of Panko & Italian Breadcrumbs (just mixed equal parts of the each breadcrumb) and then placed on a greased baking sheet. I then drizzled some olive oil over the top of the fish and baked in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so, until nice and golden & crispy on the outside. The fish was perfect. The olive oil kept it moist and the breading gave it just the right amount of crunch on the outside. They loved it!