This hearty but simple dish combines the delicate flavor of cobia with brown butter and creamy sweet potato and maple syrup puree, and can be served with a variety of fall-time veggies — like Brussels sprouts or parsnips — for a perfect autumn meal.
Brandon McGlamery is head chef and partner of Luma on Park and Prato in Winter Park, Florida, as well as the author of “9 Courses.”
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Puree
2 lb. sweet potatoes
4 Tbsp butter
1⁄4 cup maple syrup
3 or 4 sprigs of sage
salt
black pepper
aluminum foil
Cobia
6-ounce fillet (per serving)
canola oil
Wondra flour
Brown Butter Sauce
2 Tbsp butter (per fillet)
1 Tbsp capers (with juice)
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
lemon juice (from half a lemon)
1⁄4 cup walnuts
salt
black pepper
Instructions
Stretch aluminum foil over an oven tray, place sweet potatoes, sage sprigs and butter on top, drizzle maple syrup, and add salt and pepper liberally, then cover all with more foil, seal the edges and bake for two hours at 300 degrees.
Pull out of the oven, remove sage, peel sweet potatoes, and transfer them to a blender along with the juices left in the foil (use a spatula if necessary).
Blend three to four minutes until smooth, adding a bit of water if needed to achieve a creamy texture, then transfer to a saucepan and set aside.
Spread flour on a dish, drop a cobia fillet to lightly coat both sides, heat canola oil in a sauté pan, lower heat, add the fillet and cook eight to 10 minutes (until brown on one side), checking for doneness before removing from heat.
Warm up the sweet potato puree, stir until smooth and set aside.
Pour out the oil from the sauté pan, add butter, and baste fish until butter starts to brown, flipping the fillet in the process. Remove from heat, add capers, walnuts, parsley and lemon juice, and check for salt.
To plate, serve sweet potato puree, place cobia fillet on top, and spoon sauce from the pan over the fish.
This recipe was originally featured on our sister site, Saltwater Sportsman, on October 24, 2017
