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The Grouper - A Guy Named Grouper
By CHEF RALPH PAGANO
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In my research for this article I
came upon a startling fact; there
are a lot of guys out there named
“grouper.” There is the black, the
comet, the gag, the giant, the Nassau and
what I consider the godfather of them
all, the Goliath. As a result, I started
thinking of grouper as a gang, or “family”.
First, their behavior reminds me of some
“good fellows” I once knew. While they
don’t eat linguine, they do love to munch
on crab, shrimp and other crustaceans.
They travel in packs, but it’s not uncommon
for one of these guys to branch off on
their own. When that happens, he usually
ends up getting whacked. You see, this fish
is fearless, but not that bright, so it usually
doesn’t back away from a fight, or in our
case, a hook. Found in the Caribbean and
the Florida Keys, as well as other warm
water places in the world, grouper has been
a target of spear fishermen because of their
large mass (about 40 to 80 pounds). The
biggest Goliath grouper on record caught
in Florida was 680 pounds. (They would
call that guy “Tiny”.)
Adolescent grouper hang out with
friends, but unlike wise guys, grouper are
hermaphrodites and mature as females before
becoming males. They tend to spawn
between May and August, and are habitual,
territorial fish, returning to the same waters
time and again. They just can’t seem to get
away from “the old neighborhood.”
Another similarity between the grouper
and the wise guys is the love of tomato,
garlic and basil - grouper are delicious
when cooked with these ingredients. For
that reason, I carefully grow beefsteak tomatoes
and sweet basil in my garden. Then
all I have to do is wait for one of these
sweet fish to jump into one of my favorite
captain’s boats and eventually into my
kitchen.
Because of grouper’s sweet meat
and tenderness, simple preparation is
preferred. I remove the skin because it
doesn’t cook up as nicely as that of bass
or salmon. You can grill, poach, sauté or
fry this fish. I have a friend in the Keys
that does a crunchy grouper deep fried in
pancake batter and corn flakes. It is excellent,
but I can’t give away another chef’s
recipe. It’s against la cosa nostra (this
thing of ours). But if you’re at the Island
Grill at mile marker 88.5, ocean-side in
the Florida Keys, then ask for Sinead. Tell
him Ralph sent you.
Here is my recipe for Grouper Provencal.
You can cook this tasty dish in one
pan. It really lets the fish and fresh produce
shine.
You can plate these individually or
serve it up “Family” style. Garnish with
some chopped basil and grated lemon and
orange zest to make it look really great.
Bada Bing!
A recipe you cannot refuse
Grouper Provencal:
- 4 eight to 10-ounce grouper filets, skin and bones removed
- 2 seeded and diced red beefsteak tomatoes – the bigger and sweeter the better
- 1 teaspoon, chopped fresh garlic
- 1 medium-sized green zucchini, diced with the skin on
- 1 medium-sized yellow squash, diced with the skin on
- 1 teaspoon, diced shallot (you can also use sweet onions)
- 4 ounces of white wine
- Juice from two lemons
- 1 bunch, fresh, chopped sweet basil
- 3-4 ounces of pomace olive oil
- 3 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
- Enough flour to dust the fish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Zest of lemon and/or orange for garnish
Method:
- In a skillet, heat about 3 ounces of the pomace oil until it’s hot.
- Lightly dust the fish with flour and cook until one side is golden brown, then flip. Try not to flip the fish too many times because it will become more fragile and won’t color up as nicely.
- Remove fish from pan. Add a little more pomace oil and begin to sauté the garlic on medium heat.
- Then, add the shallot, continuing to sauté.
- Last, add the zucchini and the squash. Cook until tender.
- Add tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes on higher heat, then add the wine.
- Let simmer for about 2 minutes, then add the lemon juice and a fistful of basil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the extra virgin olive oil. This will make your sauce “velvety.”
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Plate fish and cover with sauce.
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