Fish Delish
Randy Essig, the Randy of Randy’s Fishmarket Restaurant, finally succumbed to customers’ clamoring for his recipes. The resulting eponymous volume, Randy’s Fishmarket Restaurant Cookbook, includes recipes for tropical drinks, appetizers, breads, sauces, side dishes and desserts plus Naples history and photos. Here is one of the book’s offerings.
Roasted Grouper With a Crispy Red Onion Crust
For onion lovers there’s nothing better on our menu than roasted Gulf grouper encrusted in a delicate blanket of very thin, pan-charred red onions. When preparing this dish for the photo, we paired it with our lemon butter sauce, but it is equally delicious instead drizzled with a little brown butter or the Balsamic Vinaigrette [found on page 158 of the book].
4 fresh red or black grouper filets or other firm-fleshed white fish, about 6 oz. each
6 flat anchovy filets, drained
2 Tbs. finely minced fresh garlic
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbs. dry white wine
½ t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly ground white pepper
2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 small red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. tiny capers, drained
½ recipe Lemon Beurre Blanc [page 140 in the cookbook]
Garnish:
3 Tbs. fresh chives, cut into ½ inch pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dry the grouper filets thoroughly on paper towels and set aside.
In the workbowl of a food processor combine the anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, wine, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl, add the eggs and whisk until well blended. Place the flour in another shallow bowl and set aside.
Dip the top of each filet (the fleshy side, not the skin side) lightly in the flour, shaking off the excess, then into the egg mixture. You only want to coat the top of each filet. Transfer the filets to a large plate, arrange the onion slices on top of each filet and pat lightly.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick, oven proof skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add the grouper filets, onion side down, without crowding the skillet and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn the filets over with a large spatula and place the skillet in the center of the preheated oven. Roast the filets for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until the filets are opaque throughout.
Remove the filets from the oven and transfer to warm individual serving plates. Add the capers to the lemon sauce. Spoon some of the sauce around the grouper and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh chives, Serve at once.
Serves 4.
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