Southern Comfort (24 page)

Heat a dry 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, place the ground almonds in an even layer on a flat surface such as a baking sheet. Season the fish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper and lay the fillets on the almonds to coat them on one side.

Add the olive oil to the sauté pan. When the pan is slightly smoking, decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the fillets to the pan, almond side down. Cook the fillets until the almond crust is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the fish in the pan and add the butter, gently basting the fish with spoonfuls of melted butter for 30 seconds. Carefully transfer the fish to a plate. Return the pan to medium-low heat.

Add the lemon segments and stock to the pan, whisking the sauce until it becomes smooth and emulsified. Pass the sauce through a strainer into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the stock mixture is reduced to a sauce-like consistency, about 2 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat, adjust the seasoning, and stir in the parsley. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once your pan is smoking, decrease the heat to medium and add the shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, and cook until the wine is reduced by one-third. Over low heat, whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, until all of the butter is incorporated. Strain the sauce into a large sauté pan.

Add the fish fillets to the pan and over low heat, poach the fish on one side for 5 minutes, then, using a spatula, flip the fish over and poach for 5 minutes more.

Serve the fish with some sauce spooned over the top and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.

To make the hollandaise, place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until the butter is completely melted, about 2½ minutes. Remove the butter from the microwave and let it sit for a few minutes, then skim off and discard the foam that has formed on the top. Pour just the clear, yellow butter (clarified butter) into another dish, leaving the milk solids. You will use the clarified butter to make the hollandaise.

In a small saucepan, combine the egg yolks and lemon juice and cook over low heat, whisking the mixture briskly until it starts to thicken. You may need to pull the pan on and off the heat to control the temperature so you do not scramble the egg yolks. Once the eggs are thickened, use a ladle to slowly drizzle half the clarified butter into the eggs while continuing to whisk.

Thin the sauce out a bit with the water to prevent from breaking.

Continue adding the remaining butter and whisking. You should end up with a thick, silky, emulsified sauce. Whisk in the salt, Creole mustard, and hot sauce. Hold the sauce in a warm place like beside the stove (if the sauce gets cool, it will break; if it gets hot, it will break as well), covered with aluminum foil or a lid until you are ready to serve it, up to 30 minutes.

To cook the fish, preheat a large sauté pan over high heat and add the olive oil. Once the pan is almost smoking, decrease the heat to medium and let cool for a minute. Season the halibut fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently lay the fillets in the hot pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then turn the fish over. You want a very light browning on each side. Cook for another minute, then remove from the pan to plates. Be careful not to overcook the halibut, as it goes from juicy and moist to dry very quickly.

Serve with the hollandaise on the side.

In a shallow pan, whisk together the mustard and champagne until well mixed. Add the catfish fillets to the pan and coat them well. Marinate the catfish in the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a blender, combine the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Creole spice, and salt. Blend together for 30 seconds to make a fine coating, then pass the mixture through a sifter into a shallow pan.

Remove the catfish from the marinade, shaking off the excess liquid. Place the catfish in the breading mixture and coat evenly on all sides. Shake the excess breading from the catfish.

Heat a large sauté pan with the canola oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, gently lay the catfish fillets in the oil. Cook the catfish on each side until the crust is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the catfish from the pan and serve with the tartar sauce.

Combine the egg yolks, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until well mixed, about 30 seconds. With the blender on low speed, drizzle the oil into the blender in a very thin stream until the mixture begins to emulsify. Increase the stream of oil slightly, and continue pouring in the rest of the oil, forming a thick mayonnaise. You may need to increase the speed at the very end for 10 seconds to get a thick and fluffy mayonnaise.

Scrape out the mayonnaise from the blender with a rubber spatula and transfer to a small bowl. Add the lemon zest, hard-boiled egg, cornichons, capers, shallot, parsley, chervil, pepper, salt, pepper vinegar, and hot sauce, and fold them into the mayonnaise with the spatula.

This will keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.