Try This At Home: Gulf Coast Snapper

We're well aware not all readers can jet down to New Orleans whenever they feel like sampling its expansive culinary scene, so for those of you who find it difficult to visit Crescent City, or for those of you who want to take the experience home, Chef Kristin Butterworth, executive chef at The Windsor Court Hotel's Grill Room, graciously shared her recipe for Gulf Coast Snapper with creamy chowder, mirepoix (a mix of celery, crrotes and and horseradish foam.

We have yet to attempt it on this end, but it's definitely going to the top of our food "to-do" list. If you beat us to the stove, let us know how it goes.

Gulf Coast Snapper
Served with Creamy Chowder, Mirepoix, Fried Oysters, Horseradish Foam, White Celery

2 Portions

Ingredients

1 ea. Whole Snapper, Cleaned
Salt, To Taste
Pepper, To Taste
2 Tbl. Soybean Oil

Chowder

1/2 Pound Butter
2 ea. Celery Root, Peeled, Sliced
4 ea. Celery, Small Diced
1 ea. Onion, Sliced
1 ea. Potato, Sliced
2 Quarts Vegetable Stock
1 Bay leaf
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 cups Heavy Cream

Mirepoix for Chowder

1 ea. Potato, Small Dice
1 ea. Onion, Small Dice
2 Ea. Carrots, Small Dice

Breaded Oysters

6 ea. Louisiana Oysters, Shucked, Trimmed
1 cup Flour
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Horseradish Foam

1 Cup Juiced Horseradish
1/2 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Soy Lecithin

Instructions:

In a medium saute pan add place the 2 tablespoons of soy bean oil and heat until very hot. Once the oil is hot lightly season both sides of the cleaned snapper and place skin side down in the pan. To ensure that the pan is hot enough it should sizzle loudly when the fish is placed in the oil.

Cook the fish until crispy on both sides and remove from the pan and allow to rest before serving.

For the Chowder place the butter in a large sauce pot and allow to melt without browning. Then place the celery root, celery, onion and potato in the pan and season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables until they are translucent.

Once they are translucent, add the vegetable stock and bay leaf and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Once the vegetables are tender, remove the pan from the heat. Remove the bay leaf from the pot and place the vegetables and broth in a blender and blend until smooth. Season again as needed and add the heavy cream.

The Mirepoix or celery, onion and carrot for the chowder will need to be blanched in hot water until tender and then placed in the chowder right before it is ready to be served.

The chowder can be prepared ahead of time and cooled to be reheated in the future. The oysters should be lightly breaded in the seasoned flour and fried immediately before serving to ensure they are crispy. Once the oysters come out of the fryer you can lightly season them with salt.

For the horseradish foam you will take all the ingredients and place them in a blender and blend briefly. To make the liquid foam you can use a hand blender and blend it in a bowl until the liquid foams up.

Serve the hot chowder in a bowl with the crispy snapper in top. You can place the fired oyster and foam on top of the fish and if you chose you can use the white celery leaves from the center of the celery stalk to garnish the dish!