Kona Kampachi in Cognac Cream Sauce
Since my wife has no appetite for fish at the moment, I was alone in tackling that whole Kona Kampachi that Kona Blue had so generously sent my way. I had actually been eating fish for four days straight until I had finished it (I couldn’t dare put that wonderful fish in the freezer), but I thought I’d give you, readers a break from fish for a while, hence the gap from the other Kona Kampachi dishes I’d prepared. So here we are, the very last of my fish. This is a simple and straightforward preparation, the Kona Kampachi is sautéed in butter and topped with a cognac cream sauce.
Since I’d tried this fish cooked in many forms (raw, marinated/”chemically” cooked, and broiled), I thought I should see what its like in a good old butter sauté. Sure enough, every approach let the fish shine in surprisingly distinct ways, but I think this was actually the least exciting of the bunch to me (but don’t get me wrong though, this was still very good–I just would opt for broiling/high heat searing next time).
The fish was rich and tender, well complimented by the cream sauce. I would have added a pinch of saffron had I not run out, but alas, the color was a great hue of orange nonetheless. The sauce was light, bright, tasty, and surprisingly delicate–just enough to add flavor without stealing attention from the fish. This would work well with any firm white fish and a medium bodied white wine, perfect for a light lunch.
- knob of butter
- salt
- pepper
- ~1/2 lb Kona Kampachi
- 1 shallot
- 1/2 carrot
- 1/2 celery stalk
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup cognac
- handful of thyme
- handful of parsely
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cream
Get everything ready. For the sauce, finely dice up the carrot, celery, shallot, and herbs. Portion the fish.
Begin by sautéing the carrot, celery, and shallot in butter for about 10 minutes to soften them up a bit. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cognac, scraping up any brown bits. Add in the herbs, squeeze in the lemon juice, and simmer for 5-10 minutes or so.
Now, puree the sauce in your food processor and strain it to keep things looking good. Add the cream, continue to simmer until you’re happy with the thickness of the sauce, and season to taste.
As the sauce is just about done, its time to do the fish. Lightly season with salt and pepper, and simply sauté it in butter until cooked to the desired doneness. I did about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve the fish over a mound of spaghetti squash, top with the sauce, and dig in.
Enjoy!
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