Hot on the heels of his third restaurant opening, The Meatball Shop's Daniel Holzman whips up a gourmet dish.
For all its health benefits (hello, omega-3s), fish tends to throw even the most dedicated cooks for a loop. It's light and delicious when made correctly; bland or, well, fishy when you miss the mark. So we turned to The Meatball Shop's charmingly bespectacled co-owner, Daniel Holzman, for the third in our video series, who created a delicious, dinner party-ready one-pot dish with fresh red snapper exclusively for Q. Give it a whirl after watching the video above — then stop by the just-opened West Village location to let him know how it went.
Steamed Snapper with Acorn Squash, Leeks and New Potatoes (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 whole red snapper (about 2 pounds) filleted, with the bones chopped and reserved
¼ acorn squash, sliced into ½ inch thick semi-circles
1 large leek, washed, seeded and sliced into 1-inch rings (dark green tops reserved)
2 small yukon gold potatoes cut into ½ inch thick slices
½ c. white wine
1 tbsp. parsley (roughly chopped)
1 tsp. butter
½ lemon
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Season the snapper fillets with salt and set aside.
2. In a small stock pot, combine the chopped fish bones, a pinch of salt and the dark green leek tops with 4 c. of cold water and bring to a simmer over a low flame.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the squash slices. Cook until soft and beginning to brown (about 3 minutes). Remove the squash, sprinkle with salt and reserve on the side.
4. Add the leeks to the pan with the butter and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to soften.
5. Add the potatoes and white wine and continue to cook until almost dry (about 3 minutes).
6. Strain the fish stock through a sieve, reserve the stock and discard the bones.
7. Lay the squash slices in the pan and add the fish stock. Bring everything back to a boil, then place the fish fillets over the top, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and cover, allowing the fish to steam until fully cooked (about (7 minutes).
8. Squeeze the lemon over the top and serve immediately.
The Meatball Shop West Village opened this week for dinner and begins serving lunch on Monday at 64 Greenwich Avenue (212-982-7815).
Putting on your apron? Don't miss Holzman's video recipe for a fig and arugula salad.
Video by Project Dstllry