Lightly Blackened Drum With Pan Sauce
Well as far as fishin’ goes, I only get to hear about or see what everybody is catchin’. However, Tom let me cut out of work early one day last week. I was sure the tide was right to catch some drum, and my instincts proved correct. I caught one, and immediately knew I was covered for dinner that night.
If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a red drum or black drum (either by hook and line or from your local seafood market), then invite that drum over to have dinner with you.
You will need:
1 red drum or black drum
your favorite blackening spice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup or 1/2 cup white wine
1/2 stick real butter
1 lemon for juice
To start, you need to prep the fish for this recipe. Filet the red or black drum, removing the skin and bones. Then take the filets and cut into 3” x 3” chunks, and these chunks should be about 1” to 3/4” thick.
Once the filets are prepped, lightly sprinkle blackening spice on both sides of each of your 3” x 3” fish chunks. Then set your prepped fish aside.
Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Next add the olive oil. Once the oil heats up, add the blackened fish.
The fish should cook for approximately two minutes on the first side. The goal is to get it to brown. If it’s brown after two minutes, then flip. If it’s not brown, cook for another minute.
Once you flip the fish, cook it on the second side for approximately three minutes. When brown on both sides, remove from heat.
Keep the sauté pan hot, and add the 1/2 cup of white wine. Cook the wine for two minutes, or until the wine cooks down.
Now you can pull the pan off of the heat, and to the cooked white wine add the butter and lemon juice. Stir these ingredients together to make the sauce.
The fish goes on the plate, and then the sauce goes on the fish. And I love this dish with grits or mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Eat American seafood!
Chef Danny Hieronymus
Danny Hieronymus was born and raised in Wrightsville Beach into a commercial fishing family and has been catching fish throughout NC all his life. He has also been cooking with his mother since he was 8 years old in the family restaurant. He can be reached at capefearcookin@yahoo.com.
