Ingredients
- 6-ounce snapper fillets
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, tarragon, chives or another herb
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional
Directions
Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a heavy 10-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Place the fillets in the pan, skin side down, laying them down away from your body. Press down gently with a spatula for about 20 seconds to prevent curling.
Lower heat to medium and let sizzle until fish is golden and caramelized around edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip fillets and add butter and thyme to pan. Tilt pan slightly to let the melted butter pool at one end. Use a spoon to baste the fish with the pooled butter. Continue basting until golden all over and cooked through, 45 to 90 seconds more, depending on the thickness of your fish. Serve immediately with chopped parsley.
Parsnip Spinach Purée
Ingredients
- 1 pound parsnips, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 lb. fresh baby spinach
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
Bring parsnips, garlic, cream, milk, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until parsnips are very soft, 10–15 minutes. Uncover, add spinach and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Purée in a blender until smooth.
Gianluca Paris is the Executive Chef and owner of Luca’s Mediterranean Café, a fine dining restaurant, The Market at Luca’s, offering light bistro style fare and gourmet take out and Luca's Culinary Journey Catering in Keene, New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife Lindy and his two children. He is the recipient of many accolades, including “Excellence in Dining” and “Best Service/Wait staff” every year since 2002 from Market Surveys of America, along with “Best Mediterranean Restaurant,” “Best Fine Dining Restaurant,” “Best Caterer in New Hampshire,” and, for four years, “Best Restaurant in the Monadnock Region” from New Hampshire Magazine.