Restaurant Take-Home: Continental's Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Sweet Potato Mash

So here's another Continental favorite, I had to try again. One of the tastiest entree's at Stephen Starr's The Continental: The Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass.
Many recipes for the sea bass called for long marinating and Mirin rice wine...both of which were huge turn-offs for me...additionally, having never cooked sea bass, I figured I'd stick to a fish I'm assured one can never cook wrong: Salmon. Also, it's available everywhere.

Another shortcut, was using Trader Joe's instant miso soup mix instead of miso paste. I'm not sure that miso is that hard to find, but at least this way, without making this dish every single day (which after making it the one time, doesn't sound like too bad of an idea) you can still use the ingredient. Also, if Trader Joe's is your main grocery store, you'll have no problem whipping it together whenever.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 packet Trader Joe's instant miso soup
  
• 2 salmon fillets
  
• Cooking spray
• 1/2c chopped scallions

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Sift Trader Joe's instant soup (or at least try to get rid of the tofu bits and dried veggies)

3. Combine first 4 ingredients.

4. Arrange fish in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle scallions on. Spoon 2/3 of miso mixture over top of fish.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, add more glaze over the top. Bake for an additional 5-10 min. Beware of burning (glaze may get hot and the sugar can burn) -- if this happens add a few tbs of water to the sauce around the fish -- NOT on top of the fish.

6. You should be able to smell the deliciousness of the fish when it's done. A well cooked fish will show bits of whiteness on the outside amid the pink and the glaze.

At Continental, the sea bass is served alongside a sweet and fluffy cloud of white sweet potato mash (and a fried sweet potato chip). I'd tasted a similar puree at Trader Joe's last year around Thanksgiving, so I headed to the store to pick up a can to serve alongside...alas, a conundrum when looking for white sweet potatoes: the contents of the can were slightly bitter, orange, yams. Still, to turn them around, I added a pinch of salt, a few tbs of butter and some brown sugar to taste (about 1/4c). All in all, not quite the same asian complement as starchy white sweet potatoes, but not a bad combination either.

Lobster Mac n Cheese

Nothing says summer vacay like a tasty, decadent lobstah...and what better place to find it than in the culinary mecca of Chelsea Market (home of the Food Network). To The Lobster Place it was, although after seeing the amazing seafood selection, it was clear we couldn't walk out with just one seafood item. So pre-cooked lobster meat it was -- which also allowed for a stroll through the Meatpacking District and sunbathing on the HighLine during time that would otherwise have been spent boiling a gazillion tons of water.


It also helped to have, days earlier, tasted the Lobster Mac at Continental (where I am pleased to report they have returned to the tasty orzo pasta, making the dish a lot more dense and thusly delicious).


















However, for a recipe, I had to turn to the queen of Lobster and decadence: The Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten.
I have to say, eating her food almost makes you envision yourself in a gorgeously decorated garden of your very own Hampton's beachhouse.








Pasta:
Small/Medium shells
Oil
Salt

Sauce:
1 pint (16 oz) whole milk
6 tbs butter
1/4c flour
2c grated Gruyere cheese
1c grated Sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 - 1lb cooked lobster meat
1/4c bread crumbs (plain, unseasoned)

Makes 4 generous servings

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cook pasta to al dente (ie: boil water, add pasta, cook for 6-8 min, strain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking, set aside). (requires about 1/2 - 3/4 of package)
3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. *this is Ina's step and I really like it as a quick and easy way to get a nice, thick sauce...much less tedious than adding cold milk and allowing it to thicken* In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. *not having a whisk, I used a wooden spoon, although you should be conscious to flattening any lumps that may develop with the back of the spoon.* Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.
4. Lower heat and add Gruyere (save a handful for topping), Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Set aside off heat.
5. As we used pre-cooked lobster, I heated it up a bit by heating 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs water in a small saucepan. I added the chopped up lobster to the mixture and cooked for a minute or so or until it was a bit warm. Then add the lobster to the cheese sauce and stir until it's well distributed.
6. As there was more pasta than sauce, I added the pasta a handful at a time to the cheese sauce to get it all incorporated. Next, spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish. Cover the top with remaining gruyere and breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy!

*You can also spoon this into individual ramekins or smaller oven-safe bowls, so you can enjoy the leftovers later without drying it out by cooking over and over*

Recipes I'd Like to Try...

These are a few recipes gleaned from a few of my favorite restaurants that I'd like to give a try at home...

The Continental
1801 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19103
138 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19106
Caesar's Pier Shops, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass
Lobster Macaroni & Cheese











NOLA
534 Saint Louis St. New Orleans, LA 70130
BBQ Gulf Shrimp