Branzino With Summer Vegetable Succotash, Romesco Sauce, Chilled Kohlrabi Purée
Recipe courtesy of Matthew Blazey, Executive Chef of Camargo Club, Indian Hill, Ohio (formerly Lexington Country Club)
Ingredients
- For Romesco:
- Red Bell Pepper - 1 QT., Roasted, Peeled, Medium Dice
- shallots - 1 cup, medium dice
- garlic - 1 Tbsp., rough chopped
- almonds - 1/2 cup, roasted
- sherry cooking wine - 1 cup
- fresh thyme - 1 Tbsp.
- local honey - 1 Tbsp.
- salt and pepper - to taste
- For Kohlrabi Puree:
- kohlrabi - 1 QT., peeled, medium dice
- Spanish onions - 1 cup, medium dice
- garlic - 1 tsp., rough chopped
- whole milk - 1 QT.
- lemon zest - 1 tsp.
- salt and peper - to taste
- For Branzino and to plate:
- branzino - 3 2-oz. portions
- baby zucchini - 2 oz., 1/4
- green beans - 1.5 oz., 1/2
- pear onion - 4-5 ea., halved
- heirloom cherry tomatoes - 5-6 ea.
- guanciale - 1 Tbsp., small dice
- squash blossom - 1 ea., torn
- Romesco sauce - 2 Tbsps.
- Kohlrabi puree - 1 Tbsp., Divided Into 5 Equal Portions on Plate
- micro chervil - for garnish
- micro celery - for garnish
Instructions
Procedure:
- For Romesco: In a sauce pan add shallots and garlic and sweat until lightly golden. Add peppers and continue sautéing, de-glaze with sherry. Add honey, almonds and thyme and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and blend until smooth, season with s/p as needed. Let cool and reserve for service.
- For Kohlrabi Puree: Sauté onion and garlic until translucent, making sure to not brown as that will affect flavor and color of puree. Add diced kohlrabi and milk and bring to simmer. Cook for roughly 15-20 minutes or until kohlrabi is very soft. Remove from heat, add lemon zest and blend thoroughly until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, cool and reserve for service.
- For Branzino and to plate: Season branzino filets with salt and pepper and sear in a sauté pan set to medium high heat for roughly 2-3 minutes. Turn fish and cut heat as residual heat will finish the cooking process. While searing fish, add the guanciale to a small amount of extra virgin olive oil and begin to brown. Once browned and rendered, add onion, zucchini and beans. Sauté until tender but still al dente, add tomatoes and cook just until warm to preserve their texture. Remove from heat and add squash blossoms. To Plate, place warm romesco in center of plate, add the succotash around the top of the sauce. Finish by shingling the branzino filets as such on top of succotash. Using a squeeze bottle arrange chilled kohlrabi puree equally around dish, finish with micro chervil and micro celery.