Sheepshead Recipe

Blackened Sheepshead with Wilted Arugula Salad

Things to Gather Up and Prepare:

• 1 tablespoon dark chili powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

• 2 filets of Sheepshead, skin on
• 3 tablespoons ghee (or clarified butter);
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• Yuzu Juice (or combine the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime)
• Arugula
• Corn on the Cob (charred over open flame or in cast iron)
• Baby Radish
• Red Onion
• Parmesan Cheese (if desired)

Now…  Let’s Get Cooking

• Combine salt and other dry spices (first 6 ingredients) into a seasoning mixture
• Score the skin and season fish on both sides of the fillet (save extra seasoning, if any, for other uses)
• In a non-stick skillet, combine 2 tablespoons of ghee (or clarified butter) and 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, and place over medium heat
• Add the fish skin side down, and sear until skin is a beautiful bronze color and crispy (this takes approximately 3 minutes), then flip the fillet
• After 2 minutes add the last tablespoon of ghee and a teaspoon of yuzu juice
• Carefully allow the fish to cook through, keeping in mind that overcooking may dry the fish out
• Remove fillets from pan and set aside to cool slightly

For the salad:

• Rinse and fully dry all veggies
• Char the corn on the cob over open flame, or in a hot cast iron skillet; carefully cut kernels off the cob with sharp knife (you do not want the corn torn from the cob, as the kernel cause a poor texture)
• Quarter baby radish.
• Thinly slice red onion
• Place the salad mix into the still hot, emptied fish pan for about 30 seconds.

Now…  The Plate Up:

• Add your wilted salad to your oval shaped, concave dish of choice
• Top with Sheepshead fillets (crispy, bronze skin side up)
• Drizzle any remaining Yuzu juice from the pan over your fish (slightly warmed olive oil also works nicely)
• If you really want to jazz it up, grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the dish