Blackened Red Grouper & Mango Salsa

Can you believe it?!?!?!? An actual post about food... About time I know.


Okay, here goes...

My wife isn't really a fan of fish except for tuna steaks. I wanted to try some other fish on the egg, specifically doing something with a lot of spice that I could cool with a tropical salsa. While at the store a few weeks ago, I wandered past the seafood department and struck up a conversation with the guy behind the counter. After I told him what I would like to try; he suggested Red Grouper. Figured I'd try it, if the wife didn't like it, I'd have a chicken breast on standby... Brought home two filets and cut them in half for 4 servings, as a friend was joining us for dinner. This was fresh caught wild Red Grouper, supposed to be very mild in taste and since they filets were thick, they could stand up to being blackened in a cast iron pan. I also picked up some fresh fruit and veggies to make the sides.

I found the recipe for the mango salsa on Allrecipes.com... here is the link
Mango Salsa Recipe

Here is the salsa being made... it was simple and very tasty. I will be making this one and ones like it throughout the warmer weather.

 Then it was on to prepping and cooking the fish. I simply melted some butter, brushed the filets with the melted butter, and then coated them thoroughly with Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom. Not the hottest spice mix out there, but it does have a really nicely balanced kick to it...

 Along with the grouper and salsa, I also made some simple grilled asparagus that was tossed with Wegmans Basting Oil and some sea salt, garlic salt, and course ground pepper. As a surprise for my daughter who loves strawberries; I also prepped and grilled some strawberries that where coated with a little EVOO and some Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head rub. This rub is great on any fruits and especially grilled corn on the cob.

The strawberries came off the egg after about 8 min. They were a little soft; but the flavor was amazing. I think they might be better egged in a small sauce pan and then served over ice cream. The juices after they were cooked tasted crazy good.

Here is the fish on the egg. I got the egg to about 350 dome temp and then let the cast iron skillet heat up for about 10 mins. I used a little bit of oil and the remaining melted butter to blacken the grouper. I did them about 3 min a side for the thicker pieces and 2 min a side for the thinner ones.

 I can say the aroma coming off the egg while cooking this had my mouth watering...

Here it is plated up... My daughter loved it, as she is always up for trying new things. My wife gave it two thumbs up and asked when we were having fish next. I would say that counts as a successful cook...

Don't be afraid to try grilling on cooking fish on the egg or whatever grill you happen to have. Ask your fish guy at your favorite seafood counter for suggestions; they are rarely wrong with the help they provide.

If you plan on using a lot of mangoes over the summer, either buy the pre sliced packaged type or get yourself one of these... Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter  This handy tool will make working with the mangoes so much easier.


Enjoy!

Ed
 

March Madness Update...

True to it's name, March Madness has been pretty hectic around here...

I have had very little time to blog about cooking. Luckily though; I have had some time to do a little egging. I have taken pictures and have a few posts in mind once I get a few minutes to catch up.

I appreciate your patience and I'm looking forward to the warming weather getting more people out of their kitchens and cooking with fire...

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed

Lasagna On The Big Green Egg...

I have never attempted to make a lasagna before; either in the oven or on my Egg... A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to give it a shot...

I found this recipe online and basically followed it except for using my Egg as the oven... It was better the next day as it had time to really set up nicely. After letting it rest for about 30 minutes once it was finished, it wasn't the prettiest dish, but it was certainly tasty!

Here are some images of the cook and the recipe will follow...

 Decided to shred my own provolone. The Egg has helped me to expand the use of my kitchen gadgets. I have used them more since I got my Egg than I have in the first 11 years of our marriage...

Here are the veggies getting prepped...

 Here is the sauce bubbling away... it was just a little too sweet for me. Next time I might cut down on the wine a little and increase the hot sausage a bit.

Constructing the pan of lasagna... I think it ended up with 4 layers if you count the top. The whole pan weigh around 10 pounds when I finished putting it all together...

Here it is resting after coming off the Egg. I let it cook at around 350 until my Thermapen showed an internal temp of 165...

It tasted much better than it looked on the first day; but after setting up in the fridge overnight, it looked a lot more traditional when it was served.

Hope you enjoyed the cook as much I did... Let me know if you try this and how it turns out for you...

The recipe is below...

Enjoy!

Ed

Lasagna

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Cook Time: 1.5 Hours

6043083

Ingredients

• 2 pound dried lasagna noodles
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 quarts ricotta cheese , (2 containers)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 pound provolone cheese, shredded
• Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven (or Big Green Egg set up for indirect cooking) to 350 degrees F.

Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the Parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella and provolone on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily

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