Weakfish, a.k.a. squeteague or sea trout, has begun its annual migration in large schools up the Atlantic coast. . . . The name, weakfish, is no slur on its character; it refers to the delicate mouth of this fish, which is easily torn by a hook. Otherwise the weak has a lean and flaky white flesh that is delicious when very freshly caught. It tends to become soft and flabby if not cooked right away and its blandness needs some exciting flavor accents to be interesting.
Fennel gives it an Italian flair and aioli, the famous Provencal garlic mayonnaise, transports the weakfish to the Cote d’Azur (where it is never to be seen). Tarragon and chives are already a robust size in gardens and they are natural herbs for fish of all kinds. If you have none of your own, the farmstands are opening once more and have good supplies of fresh herbs.
Weakfish is a valuable commercial fish but it also can be caught at this season on a rod and reel. Thus you may find a scarcity of plumbers, electricians, and construction workers for a few weeks when the weakfish are running. You can cope with this spell of weakfish madness best by smiling bravely and hoping that you at least get some of the catch.
Baked Whole Weakfish With Fennel
Whole bulbs of fresh fennel are becoming fairly common in supermarkets as well as at fancy greengrocers. It has a faintly anise flavor that is complimentary to fish. An added splash of Pernod at the end of the cooking deepens and accentuates this flavor. Serves eight.
1 whole weakfish, about 10 lbs.
2 bulbs fennel
Salt and freshly milled pepper
2 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon
1 cup dry white wine (approx.)
1/4 lb. unsalted butter, melted
1 jigger of Pernod (optional)
Have the weakfish cleaned, beheaded, and the fins cut off. (If you have a large enough pan and oven, you can leave the head on.) Wash and dry it and slash it diagonally three times on each side. Blanch the fennel in boiling water salted water for about four minutes, then cut it into vertical slices.
Lay the fish in a buttered oven-to-table dish and salt it inside and out. Add the fresh tarragon to the inside of the fish, then lay the fennel slices along the top of the fish. Pour white wine to a depth of about one-eighth inch around the fish, pour half the melted butter evenly over the fennel-covered fish, cover loosely with a piece of wax paper and cook in the center of a 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes.
With a paring knife test near the backbone at the thickest part for doneness. It should be opaque and easily flaked. When it is done, remove from the oven, remove wax paper, and run the fish under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Heat the Pernod in a ladle, light it, and pour it over the fish. Pour the rest of the melted butter over the fish and serve.
Weakfish Gremolata
Buy fillets, cleaned of all skin and bone for this dish, which is very good served with steamed broccoli florets. Serves four.
4 weakfish fillets, about six oz. each
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. white, black, or green pepper
Grated zest of one lemon
Flour
1/4 lb. butter, clarifed
1 lemon, cut in wedges
Rinse and dry the fillets and score them very lightly with a sharp knife to a depth of about one-quarter inch in a criss-cross pattern. In a food processor, pulverize the garlic with the salt, pepper, and zest of lemon. Rub this mixture all over the fillets, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them to marinate for one hour — longer won't hurt.
Dredge the weakfish very lightly in flour, shaking off any excess. Clarify the butter by heating it to boiling, then skimming off any foam. Pour off the butter carefully into a large skillet, leaving behind the milky residue. Clarified butter will not burn and smoke as easily as plain melted butter. If you wish, you can use olive oil instead of clarified butter. Saute the fish fillets about four minutes to the side, turning them very carefully with two wide spatulas. Arrange on hot plates and serve garnished with lemon wedges.
Weakfish With Chives
Dredge four weakfish fillets with flour and pan-fry as above in clarified butter. Remove the fillets to hot plates and deglaze the skillet with one cup of heavy cream. Add two tablespoons of chives, snipped fine, to the sauce and pour over the fish.
