There’s no grill at Select Oyster Bar, so chef/owner Michael Serpa enjoys the chance to break out the Weber at home when he’s off the clock. “A grill to me makes any meal instantly relaxed and casual. Precision is less important,” says Serpa, who taps his own vegetable garden for the tomato salad he pairs with his whole grilled black bass. Cooked on the bone to keep it juicy, the fish ends up with a charred skin and plenty of flavor. “The flavor is a little bolder than sauteing a filet, but never overpowering,” he says. “The fish is the star of the show.”
WHOLE GRILLED BLACK BASS AND TOMATO SALAD
Serves 4 people
For the tomato salad:
– 2 quarts heirloom tomatoes, diced
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
– 1/8 cup shallot or red onion, finely diced
– 1 pint cucumbers, finely diced
– Salt and pepper to taste
1. Toss the tomatoes with cucumbers, olive oil, sherry vinegar and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Chill while the grill heats to allow tomatoes to marinate.
For the herb sauce:
– 4 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
– 1 tablespoon mint, roughly chopped
– 1 tablespoon oregano, roughly chopped
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
– Crushed coriander or fennel seed to taste, if desired
1. Toss herbs in a bowl with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, coriander or fennel seed. Serve immediately.
For the fish:
– 4 black bass, scaled and gutted, with gills snipped out
– Canola oil
– A few slices of Kerrygold butter
– A few lemons, sliced
– Salt to taste
1. Make tomato salad.
2. Fire up the grill with charcoal and wood. Clean and oil the grill, making one side high heat and the other medium/medium low.
3. Make the herb sauce.
4. Pat the fish dry and rub it with canola oil. Season with salt.
5. Grill the fish on the hot side of the grill. Once grill marks appear, turn the fish 90 degrees on the same side. Once the fish has both marks on that side, flip and transfer to the medium side. Cover the grill.
6. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh is white and a fork stuck near the fattest part of the head comes out warm.
7. Move the fish to a platter. Top with pats of butter and lightly cover with aluminum foil to melt slightly. When ready to serve, top the fish with herb sauce and sliced lemons. Serve with tomato salad on the side.
License to Grill
Local chefs are as at home behind the grill as they are in the kitchen. We tapped a few for their favorite summertime eats.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike | June 2, 2017
Michael Serpa of Select Oyster Bar
There’s no grill at Select Oyster Bar, so chef/owner Michael Serpa enjoys the chance to break out the Weber at home when he’s off the clock. “A grill to me makes any meal instantly relaxed and casual. Precision is less important,” says Serpa, who taps his own vegetable garden for the tomato salad he pairs with his whole grilled black bass. Cooked on the bone to keep it juicy, the fish ends up with a charred skin and plenty of flavor. “The flavor is a little bolder than sauteing a filet, but never overpowering,” he says. “The fish is the star of the show.”
WHOLE GRILLED BLACK BASS AND TOMATO SALAD
Serves 4 people
For the tomato salad:
– 2 quarts heirloom tomatoes, diced
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
– 1/8 cup shallot or red onion, finely diced
– 1 pint cucumbers, finely diced
– Salt and pepper to taste
1. Toss the tomatoes with cucumbers, olive oil, sherry vinegar and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Chill while the grill heats to allow tomatoes to marinate.
For the herb sauce:
– 4 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
– 1 tablespoon mint, roughly chopped
– 1 tablespoon oregano, roughly chopped
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
– Crushed coriander or fennel seed to taste, if desired
1. Toss herbs in a bowl with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, coriander or fennel seed. Serve immediately.
For the fish:
– 4 black bass, scaled and gutted, with gills snipped out
– Canola oil
– A few slices of Kerrygold butter
– A few lemons, sliced
– Salt to taste
1. Make tomato salad.
2. Fire up the grill with charcoal and wood. Clean and oil the grill, making one side high heat and the other medium/medium low.
3. Make the herb sauce.
4. Pat the fish dry and rub it with canola oil. Season with salt.
5. Grill the fish on the hot side of the grill. Once grill marks appear, turn the fish 90 degrees on the same side. Once the fish has both marks on that side, flip and transfer to the medium side. Cover the grill.
6. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh is white and a fork stuck near the fattest part of the head comes out warm.
7. Move the fish to a platter. Top with pats of butter and lightly cover with aluminum foil to melt slightly. When ready to serve, top the fish with herb sauce and sliced lemons. Serve with tomato salad on the side.
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