Editor’s Note — In this new monthly series, Eating Sustainably, we will feature delicious recipes for sustainable seafood created by chef and author Victoria Allman. To remain consistent, we will use only seafood listed as “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.
By Victoria Allman, author of SEAsoned: A Chef’s Journey with Her Captain
Cobia swimming in cage. Photo credit: NOAA.
Cobia is a delicious tropical game fish found in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. It has a sweet rich flavor that is moist and firm at the same time. It lends itself well to sautéing and grilling. The flesh turns white and flaky when cooked.
Cobia is a popular choice for aquafarming as it grows to a mature size in a relatively short amount of time. The U.S. farms cobia for sale in grocery stores in closed recirculated water tanks where disease, escapes, and pollutants can be managed. Cape Eleuthera Foundation and The Island School, a semester-away type high school located in the Bahamas that focuses on discovering sustainable solutions to real world problems, farms cobia in much the same safe and sustainable way.
US Farmed Cobia is a “Best Choice” on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List.
Seared Cobia with Corn Soup and a BLT Salad. Photo courtesy of Victoria Allman.
Seared Cobia with Corn Soup and a BLT Salad
Cobia
6 six-ounce portions cobia
1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
6 sprigs thyme
2 garlic cloves
Corn
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 cups chicken stock
8 ears corn, shucked
8 sprigs thyme, destemmed
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
BLT Salad
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
6 slices applewood smoked bacon
4 cups arugula
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper
For the corn soup: Sauté the shallot and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the corn kernels, thyme, sea salt and red chili flakes and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the corn and liquid in a blender with the white wine vinegar and pass through a fine mesh sieve to produce a smooth thick soup. Season and keep warm.
For the BLT salad: Toss the tomatoes in olive oil with sea salt and roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and gently peel the skin from the tomatoes. Set aside to cool slightly. Render the bacon in a pan over medium-high heat until crispy and crumble into a bowl with the arugula, tomatoes, the juice from the tomatoes, and the red wine vinegar. Season and set aside until fish is cooked.
For the cobia: Sprinkle the cobia with Emeril’s Essence and sea salt. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and then sear the fish, top-side down. When the fish is cooked about halfway through (2 minutes), add the butter, thyme, and garlic to the pan. Flip the fish so that the presentation side is now up. As the butter melts, baste the fish using a spoon until the fish is cooked through (5-8 minutes).
To assemble: Ladle 6-ounces of corn soup on the bottom of a plate to use as the sauce. Lay the cobia on top of the soup and place the tossed salad on top of the fish making sure to divide the tomatoes and bacon evenly amongst the six plates.
Copyright © 2014 by Marine Science Today, a publication of Marine Science Today LLC.
