Sweet Crusted Bluefish with Corn Vinaigrette and Apple Cheddar Beer Bread

I love bluefish. Have I said that before? This time I tried it with a sweet crust cooked right onto the fish (think brown sugar, among other things) with a tart corn vinaigrette drizzled over the top to cut the sweetness for a tantalizing combination. It made for a very different way to prepare bluefish than I have tried before and one I'm very likely to repeat.

To go with the bluefish I cooked an apple cheddar beer bread - a twist on one of my favorite types of bread. It was warm and delicious with a perfect blend of fruit and cheese as an aftertaste. I also whipped up a succotash. Check out my past recipe for a general idea of how to make a succotash. This one, however, was slightly different. It included mushrooms, fresh corn off the cob, cherry tomatoes, cannellini beans, and black pepper. Cilantro would be a good addition as well if you have some of the herb fresh on hand.

Time: 1 hr 20 min
Difficulty: medium
Cost: $21.07


Apple Cheddar Beer Bread
Time: 1 hr 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 medium apple
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c shallots, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 c flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 bottle (12 oz) hard cider, or if you do not have cider substitute 1 12 oz beer and 2 tbsp apple juice
2 tbsp melted butter

(this recipe is based upon a similar one from Cooking Light)

Get your oven preheating to 375.

Shred your apple (hopefully using a food processor.) Spread the shredded apple on thick paper towels and layer more on top. Push down and squeeze until you remove all of the moisture that you can from the apple.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the apple and shallots. Saute, stirring frequently to avoid burning, for 7-9 minutes. The apple should be browned and the shallots soft.

Add the black pepper and the minced garlic. Saute another 2 minutes. Then, set aside and let it cool slightly.

As your apple mixture cools, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make sure the ingredients are well mixed. Make a hole in the center so your dry ingredients are in a donut shape in the bowl.

Pour the apple mixture, cheddar cheese, and cider/beer/apple juice into the hole in the center. Stir just until the dough is mixed and moist. You want to avoid over-stirring so you do not accidentally remove all of the carbonation from the cider.

Grease a 9x5 bread pan with cooking spray and pour the batter (it will be rather thick) into the pan. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of melted butter. Place the bread in the oven, but I suggest putting a piece of foil underneath to catch any butter that drips out as the bread rises. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven, drizzle your last tablespoon of melted butter over the top, and bake for another 30 minutes. At this point the bread should be done, but check to make sure a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If not, bake a few more minutes.

Sweet Crusted Bluefish with Corn Vinaigrette
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 corn on the cob
3 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/8 c lime juice
1/8 c red wine vinegar
1/8 c fresh cilantro, chopped in large pieces
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 lb bluefish fillet
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

Peel the corn and wrap it in wax paper. Microwave the corn for 2.5 minutes. Let it cool until you can easily hold it, and slice off the kernels, cutting as close to the cob as possible.

Place the corn, garlic, and chili powder in a food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil as you slowly pulse a few more times.

Add the lime juice, red wine vinegar, cilantro, and black pepper. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is fully blended and stirred together. Remove from the food processor and refrigerate the corn vinaigrette (covered) until the fish is ready.

Put the cumin, coriander, brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. Mash together with a spoon until the spices are well combined. You can push down with the spoon to make it stick more firmly together, due to the clinging powers of brown sugar.

Place your bluefish fillets on a flat surface, skin side down. Press spoonfuls of the spice mixture onto the fillet until you have a 'crust' covering the fillets.

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add a tsp of olive oil and let the oil heat. Place the bluefish fillets carefully into the pan, with skin down and crust up. Cook the fillets for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets to avoid breaking the crust. Cook for another 5-6 minutes. Turn the fillets back over so the crust is up.

If any bits of the crust have fallen into the plan, remove with a spatula and throw away or mush back into the crust. Bits of sugar alone in the pan will burn and create a lot of smoke if left there.

Continue to cook for the fish for another 5 minutes or until done. The bluefish should be opaque in color and flake easily.

When the fish is done remove the pan from the heat. Drizzle the corn vinaigrette over the fish before serving or serve the sauce alongside the fish.