Cook This, Drink That
Land & Sea Edition
Yes, red wine goes really well with fish. Just ask chef Ari Kolender
ARI KOLENDER CAN TELL you the exact moment he realized how perfectly a glass of California red pairs with a beautiful fish entrée. It was 2005, and he was a 21-year-old line cook at Providence in Los Angeles. Every night, the city’s top-rated restaurant would culminate its five-course tasting menu with seared salmon paired with a red Zinfandel. “The rich fattiness of the salmon just made sense with the red wine,” says Kolender. It’s a combo that has stuck with him as he has gone on to open his own much-loved LA eatery, Found Oyster. When we asked him if he might have a recipe that would go well with The Pact, he didn’t hesitate. “We do a butterflied brook trout that we sear in cast iron. At home, I do it in my wood-fired Gozney pizza oven in the backyard. When the fish is done, I let the pan rest for a minute, and then toss the par-cooked kale and potatoes in a brown butter sauce.” The result is a rustic, satisfying dish. Think campfire luxe—the perfect partner to this year’s vintage of The Pact.
Pan Roasted Trout with Brown Butter Potatoes and Kale
Pan-roasting fish is incredibly quick (it’s the boiling of the potatoes that
takes an extra 15 minutes or so). Meanwhile, the accompanying potatoes
and greens pair with a brown butter sauce for the fish, making it a
perfect and complete dinner for two.
1 pound creamer potatoes, such as Magic Myrna, Fingerlings,
or Yukon Golds
6 garlic cloves, peeled but whole
1 thyme sprig
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
Kosher salt
2 whole trout, cleaned and heads removed
(about 1 pound total)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more to taste
2 cups loosely packed, roughly torn frisée or lacinato kale leaves
1/4 cup tightly packed, thinly sliced fresh parsley
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Preheat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat.
Place the potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover. Add the garlic cloves, thyme, bay leaf, and a healthy pinch of kosher salt (it should taste salty like the sea). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce it to a strong simmer and cook until a knife slides easily into the thickest part of a potato, 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Drain the potatoes and discard the thyme and bay leaf. Return the potatoes to the pot along with the garlic cloves and set it aside.
Meanwhile, rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry. Season the skin on both sides aggressively with kosher salt and pepper. Season them lightly on the inside with more salt and pepper. Increase the heat under the skillet to high. Once the pan is starting to smoke, add the olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium- high. Lay the fish in the pan (away from you). Cook until the bottom has some nice browning, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the fish over, placing a fish spatula under the belly side when you flip.
Transfer the pan in the oven and roast until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 120°F, about 5 minutes for a thinner fish like trout, or a minute or so longer for a thicker fish.
Meanwhile, return the pot of potatoes to the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and season the potatoes with 15 twists of black pepper and 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, stirring occasionally. Once the butter is starting to brown, after about 5 minutes, stir in the frisée (or kale leaves) and parsley and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.