I realized i don’t have a whole lot of simple fish recipes on this blog which is a shame because i cook tons of it at work. So in an effort to balance things out… you’re all getting some fish tonight. Yes, I want my readers to be on a balanced diet. That’s how much i care.

I’ll try to keep it simple and to the point today because i gotta go back to packing for my trip to Colorado. This dish is inspired by Suzanne Goin of restaurant Lucques in West Hollywood who has, in my opinion, a special knack for clever and unpretentious flavor combinations that really work. What attracted me to this dish in the first place is the unusual combination of farro and black rice. Not only it looks black & white cool but i love the chewy but substantial texture that absorbs all the juices. When it’s tossed with baby spinach (she does it with pea shoots when they’re in season) it creates the perfect canvas for fish.

You could use the fish of your choice here, of course, but the meat of a striped bass is just perfect because it’s a happy medium between flaky and meaty: Its texture lies between cod and swordfish. The taste, like most fish, varies depending on where it was caught and what it was eating but from my experience you can’t go wrong with striped bass, it’s consistently delicious.

What makes this dish a home run is of course, the sauce. The taste of tangerine is often less sour or tart than that of an orange and it has a very pleasant floral quality that embellish fish particulary well and it results in a sauce with hints of blossoms that’s not too rich and that gets an extra kick from the chile de arbol and green garlic. I know, that’s too much blah-blah. Just remember those 3 words — pretty damn good!

And the winner of the Flat Turtle cookie giveaway is:

Sorry for the delay. It’s been busy around here. Comment #31 wins. Congratulation to Melissa!

Contact me asap or your cookies will be mercilessly .. eaten! Thank you all for participating. We’ll do it again soon.

• Wild Striped Bass with farro, black rice, baby spinach & tangerine

• 
• Adapted from Dinner at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
• serves 8

  • For the striped bass

  • 6 wild striped bass fillets
  • 4 tangerines, zested + juiced, save some segments
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • salt and pepper

  • Farro, black rice, green garlic & spinach:

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 chile de arbol
  • 3/4 cup black rice
  • 3/4 white wine
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 1 1/2 cup farro
  • 1/2 cup green garlic, sliced
  • 8 ounces baby spinach
  • salt and pepper

  • For the striped bass:

  • Combine the tangerine zest, thyme and parsley. Cover the fish and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
  • Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and carefully lay the fish in the pan. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until crisp on the edges. Turn the fish over and lower the heat. Cook a few more minutes until done. Reserve the fish on a warm platter.
  • Wipe out the pan and return to the heat. Add the tangerine juice and the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce by half, until syrupy and whisk in the butter until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tangerine segments.
  • Place the farro, black rice mixture on a platter. Top with the fish. Spoon the sauce over the fish.

  • For the farro, black rice, green garlic and baby spinach

  • In a medium saucepan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 onion, one chile and a bay leaf. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add rice, stir, add 1/4 cup white wine and reduce by 1/2. Add 4 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low and cover. Cook about 40 min or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Follow the same procedure to cook the farro using 8 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Cool each separately.
  • Toss the black rice with the farro. Heat a sautee pan. Add a little olive oil and the baby spinach, sautee for a few seconds and add the mixture of black rice and farro. Season with salt and pepper.

Tags: Fish, Seafood