Here's the best way I've found of cooking skin-on white-fleshed fish. You'll love the simplicity of how spicy butter becomes a sauce as it melts.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the butter:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (like, really softened: leave it out for a few hours)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
a few dashes Worcestershire
2 cloves garlic, grated or super duper finely minced
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
For the fish:
¾ pound Black Bass fillets, or any skin-on white fish that you like
Oil (I use olive or safflower, but if you're concerned about smoke points, choose safflower or coconut)
Salt
Instructions
Make the butter:
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. If you're worried about the heat, just use 2 tablespoons Tabasco. Stir well to combine, as the liquid sauce won't want to integrate with the butter at first, but it will. Set aside until ready to use. If you're making this in advance, you can scoop the butter into a square of plastic wrap and then roll it up into a little tube, sealing the edges. Store in the fridge, then cut slices when you're ready to use.
Make the fish:
Set a skillet large enough to fit all your fish over highest heat. I use a stainless steel one, but if you have a huge cast-iron pan, that'd be great too. Leave the pan to heat for 5 minutes until it's ridiculously hot. While it's heating, blot your fish dry with paper towels and season the flesh side with salt. When the pan is ready, quickly film with with oil the immediately drape all the fillets into the pan, skin side down. Grab a spatula and press them firmly down into the pan, since the heat makes them want to pucker up. Now, turn the heat down just slightly and watch the fish turn opaque. When just the top centimeter of each fillet is still translucent, flip the fish, turn off the heat, and let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until you can lift them
Notes
The butter recipe makes more than you'll need. Keep it around for topping meats and fish or spreading on egg sandwiches.
Recipe by Big Girls Small Kitchen at http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2015/07/how-to-make-the-crispiest-fish-with-tabasco-compound-butter.html