Welcome to Fresh Catch, a new live video series from Eater and Greenpoint Fish and Lobster that highlights sustainable seafood you should know about. You won’t see tuna or salmon, but bycatch and little fish are fair game. Thursdays at 11 a.m. fish monger Adam Geringer-Dunn will highlight a new fish and show off a simple preparation live on Eater’s Facebook page.
Up this week: An 85-pound opah. The opah, or moonfish, is popular in Hawaii, but hard to find on menus in the continental U.S. It’s sometimes accidentally caught by boats fishing for tuna, but it’s difficult for fisherman to target this fish specifically. That means that its population numbers are still high, and eating it does not endanger the species. This specimen was caught in San Diego.
After breaking down the whole fish, Geringer-Dunn demonstrated two simple dishes.
For a quick sear all you need to do is take a cut of the fish and top it with salt (adding a pinch of sugar can help achieve maximum caramelization). Coat a hot frying pan with neutral oil and gently place the fish in the pan. Rotate the meat every 30 seconds or so. You’re looking for a golden sear on outside and a pink inside. Slice thin and it’s ready to serve. Try it as an appetizer, or on top of a simple salad.
For a second dish Geringer-Dunn threw together a quick ceviche. Start with quarter inch thick slices of fish, top with salt, olive oil, lemon zest, red onion, and parsley. Geringer-Dunn tossed on a little uni for good measure, but that’s optional. This 5-minute preparation shows off the best of the fish. For a complete recipe walkthrough, check out the video above.
Head to Facebook on Thursdays at 11 a.m. to ask Geringer-Dunn questions about all things fishy.
