1 lb. cobia, cut into 3 pieces

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons butter

1 garlic clove, smashed, skin removed

Generous squeeze of lemon

 

Heat oven to 425°. Drizzle both sides of cobia with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, add canola oil. Once oil shimmers, add the lemonfish. Cook the fish without moving it for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the fish easily releases from the skillet.  Turn fish over and move to oven. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes (up to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of fish) until just barely cooked through. Remove from oven and add the butter and clove of garlic to pan. When butter melts, tilt pan and spoon butter over fish for a minute or two, until fish is opaque. Squeeze with lemon juice. If you'd like to enhance the butter flavor, add some thyme or tarragon sprigs, whatever you have on hand.

 

Alternatively use mâitre d'hôtel butter, or an herb-citrus or roasted garlic compound butter instead of the garlic butter added after cooking. 

 

If you use simple brown butter, you may want to top with a small spoonful of Gremolata, or your favorite topping.

 

If you don't want to use butter, just cook the fish as directed above, but instead of basting the fish with butter, add the fish to a Basic Tomato Sauce and cook for an additional minute. But, the browned garlic butter alone makes a great sauce.

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Serves: 3

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