Fettuccine and Roasted Vegetable Cream Sauce with Fresh Grilled Wild Mahi

Fettuccine and Roasted Vegetable Cream Sauce with Fresh Grilled Wild Mahi and Oregano Lemon Butter and Sautéed Asparagus

serves 8

Hint From Ken:
It’s a good idea to plan on putting pasta in boiling water about the time you put the fish on the grill so that everything ends up ready together…

The texture and temperature of food will be more on point as well as the appearance. This dish may seem like a lot of work but is actually quite simple if you have your ingredients out and ready and someone to share a glass of wine with while you cook. Might be helpful to give the recipe a good read through first to familiarize yourself with the process.

As always…Buy the freshest and best ingredients you can afford. Note that this recipe serves 8 so adjust accordingly for fewer servings. Serve with fresh crusty bread and *salted rosemary butter…

This dish is a favorite at Hillbilly Supper Club.

What you’ll need:

-3 lb. of Fresh Wild Mahi (Ask ahead of time to find out when it comes in to your local market to buy at it’s freshest)
-Good extra virgin olive oil
-Balsamic vinegar
-1 lemon
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1 stick of butter
-Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
-32 oz fettuccine pasta
-1 large red bell pepper
-1 large green red bell pepper
-2 pints of cherry tomatoes (Any kind will do but pick
what ever is freshest)
-1 large red or white onion (A white onion tends to be
milder if you prefer)
-6 peeled garlic cloves
-2 peeled shallots
-1 cup of half and half
-1 cup of fresh grated parmesan – reggiano
-1 handful of fresh oregano (about 2 tablespoons of
leaves separated from stems)
-1 handful of fresh basil (about 15 Leaves)
-1 large bunch of fresh asparagus
-1 tablespoon of sugar

Sauce for pasta:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large cutting surface, slice peppers and onions into about 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Next, slice shallots and garlic cloves in half and add to bowl along with tomatoes. Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over vegetables then sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper and and equal amount of kosher salt. Using 2 wooden spoons, toss everything in bowl together with and pour contents onto a flat baking pan layered with a sheet of parchment paper…

(Can use a non-stick pan if you don’t have parchment paper but parchment makes for a no stick easy clean up)

Bake for 40-45 Min…(set aside bowl)

When vegetables are roasted and nicely browned transfer from oven back to bowl…

 Add 1/2 of oregano and all of basil and toss…

Next, spoon vegetables in to food processor or blender along with half and half and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar…

 

Puree mixture into a cream sauce. Transfer to stovetop in a pan and add salt and pepper to taste…

 

Fish:

 Prepare grill…(Preferably wood or charcoal fire but a clean, evenly heated gas grill is fine)

 Lay fish out on a flat baking pan skin side down. Very lightly drizzle olive oil over the fish…and then rub over meat to coat with clean hands.

 Add fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt but use sparingly. (You want to taste the fish not the salt.)

Next, grill 6 to 8 inches over hot coals skin side down with grill top closed for about 2 minutes. (Monitor for flare-ups because of olive oil.)

 Next, gently slide metal spatula between skin and fish and carefully flip.

(With a fork remove grilled skin and discard.)

Grill for 2 more minutes with grill top closed…(based on a 3inch thick filet…Maybe a min longer if thicker but do not over cook or will be dry…Try not to flip more than once)

Transfer fish to pan and loosely place a sheet of tin foil over…

Let rest for 5 minutes.

Sauce for fish:

In a skillet melt butter on medium heat and add juice of fresh squeezed lemon, white wine and other half of fresh oregano. Whisk together and keep warm on medium low heat.

Asparagus:

Wash asparagus and gently bend one at a time until they break. Discard tough ends. In a deep enough bowl, mix sugar and cold water…soak asparagus for at least 30 minutes to return fresh taste. Remove and pat dry. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pat of butter on medium/high heat…

 

Sauté asparagus for 5 minutes stirring often and reduce to low heat.

 

Squeeze a lemon over top of asparagus and salt lightly…

Pasta:

Prepare al Dente in large pot with lots of well salted water. Strain and drain pasta and then transfer servings to wide shallow bowls or plates…add a scoop of vegetable cream sauce over top of pasta…

In a skillet melt butter on medium heat and add juice of fresh squeezed lemon, white wine and other half of fresh oregano. Whisk together and heat.

Next plate fish with salt and peppered side up on side of pasta and vegetable sauce…Sprinkle parmesan – reggiano over top of cream sauce and spoon lemon butter sauce over fish and serve hot. Accompany with fresh crusty bread and salted rosemary butter.

Ken Johnson Hillbilly Supper Club 2015