Executive Chef John Reis of Hilton Harrisburg shares his recipes for grilled walu with a saute of fresh asparagus, baby morels and currant tomatoes.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 Walu fillets (about 6 ounces each)
- Oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cups fresh baby morel mushrooms
- 1/2 bunch pencil asparagus, blanched and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pint red currant tomatoes ( roasted in oven)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 cups Basic Butter Sauce (see recipe Below)
- Drizzle of olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat the grill. Season the fillets with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and white pepper and set aside. Place the fillets on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- In a large sauté pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
- Sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Continue to sauté for 1 minute. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat.
- Stir in the parsley, fresh tarragon.
- To serve, spoon the mushroom mixture in the center of each plate. Lay the fish on top of the vegetable mixture. Spoon some of the butter sauce over the fish.
Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
- 1 lb unsalted butter, cold
- Kosher salt, to taste
Directions:
- Heat wine, vinegar and shallots in a saucepan until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced down to about 2 tablespoons. This should take about 10 minutes.
- While the liquid reduces you can cut the butter into medium, 1/2 inch cubes, but either leave this until the reduction is nearly finished or return the butter cubes to the refrigerator to keep them cold while the liquid finishes reducing.
- Once the wine-vinegar mixture has reduced to 2 tablespoons, reduce the heat to low and start adding the cubes of butter, one or two at a time, and whisk rapidly with a wire whisk.
- As the butter melts and incorporates, add more butter and keep whisking. Continue until you only have 2-3 cubes remaining.
- Remove from heat while whisking in the last few cubes, and whisk for a moment or two more. The finished sauce should be thick and smooth.
- Season to taste with Kosher salt. Traditionally the shallots would be strained out before serving, but doing so is optional. Serve right away.
Makes 2 cups of beurre blanc sauce.
