Week 8: Broiling & Seafood I

Research

Introductions

• List the method of cookery and dishes to be covered in class

This week, we will be utilizing a dry-heat method of cooking by broiling sea bass filets over a bed of sauteed leeks. This is a rapid method suitable for smaller or thinner items, where the fish is cooked from heat above. We will need clean grill racks and an oiled towel. The seabass will be broiled in a preheated oven with skin side up. We will use another method of dry-heat cooking known as grilling for vegetable skewers. Grilling is also a rapid method, but the food is cooked from heat below. This recipe calls for zucchini, yellow squash, large broccoli and cauliflower florets, onion, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. Before grilling, the sliced or diced vegetables will be blanched and then marinated in a red wine vinegar concoction for 30-45 minutes. After draining the vegetables, we will skewer them on bamboo skewers and place them on a hot grill, rotating them as needed. Lastly, we will create a Hollandaise sauce. This sauce is an emulsified sauce consisting of egg yolks, warm clarified butter, water, lemon juice, vinegar, white peppercorns, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. This recipe employs the method of straining through a chinois. We will also use a double boiler.

• List your learning objectives for the class

This week in class is the first time we will be cooking seafood. I personally do not enjoy eating most types of fish; therefore, I have never needed to fillet, score, and cook a fish. I hope to correctly fillet the seabass, making sure to remove all bones and acquire the right amount of depth when scoring the fish.

• Discuss your prior knowledge of the content

I am very unfamiliar with cooking seafood, especially fish, as I mentioned above. Typically, the only type of seafood I eat is shrimp; I know that shrimp must be cooked until opaque with a little bit of color.

Background Information

• Research and discussion of method of cooking/ techniques

Broiling and grilling are two very similar dry-heat cooking methods that employ radiation and conduction at high temperatures but differ in heat sources using different techniques. Broiling uses heat from above, with the food placed on a rack under the broiler element in an oven. The intense heat quickly sears the top surface of the food, giving it a crispy and caramelized texture. Differently, grilling utilizes heat from below, with the food placed directly over the heat source, typically on a grill grate or grilling plate. While both methods offer fast and flavorful cooking, broiling is more suitable for smaller cuts or thinner items, like steaks and filets, while grilling is ideal for larger cuts and whole pieces, such as chicken, vegetables, and kebabs. Hollandaise sauce is considered to be a delicacy of sauces and possibly one of the most complicated to create correctly. This recipe requires patience as there are many, many steps, such as reduction, straining, double boiling, whipping, whisking, slow addition of butter drops, and more straining! “While most mother sauces use roux for thickening, hollandaise relies on an emulsification process to thicken it. (Unterkoefler, 2023). Hollandaise sauce is one of the five mother sauces and compliments the grilled sea bass perfectly.

• Research and discussion of primary ingredient

The primary ingredient for broiling this week is sea bass fish. We will be using 8 oz filets broiled on a hot platter and served on a bed of sauteed leeks. The taste characteristics of sea bass are explained in a Savory Suitcases blog, “Its flesh is tender and delicate, with a mild, slightly sweet taste that is often compared to a combination of cod and halibut. When cooked, sea bass develops a lovely flaky texture that melts in your mouth. Its white flesh turns opaque and easily separates into large, moist flakes.” (Billan, 2023). The primary ingredient for vegetable skewers is a fairly equal mix of zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, red bell peppers, and mushroom caps. That’s what makes this dish so diverse when grilled together after being marinated. Once grilled, all of the ingredients will have a semi-soft texture with a slight browning. As for the special Hollandaise sauce, the main ingredient could be a draw between egg yolks and clarified butter. Those mixed with red wine vinegar, water, and lemon juice require a careful and slow process to emulsify.

• Dish/method variations

We will be broiling sea bass in an oven this week. This could be accomplished with either gas or electric heat. Other variations include pan searing, grilling, steaming, or roasting. Broiling creates a crispy top on which Hollandaise sauce will provide a delicious accent. Although we will be grilling vegetable skewers, they can also be stir-fried, sauteed, or baked. In an article by The Mediterranean Dish, it is suggested to “keep your heat to medium so that you can cook the vegetables without letting them become scorched or totally blackened. Some grill marks or charred parts are wonderful! Be sure to take the vegetables off the heat when they are just done, this way they do not burn or lose their crunch completely.” (Karadsheh, 2021). Other grilling variations include barbecuing using wood or charcoal, which would be more appropriate for steaks or other meat. We are creating a Hollandaise sauce, but another mother sauce that is complementary is Velouté, using a white stock (such as chicken or fish) thickened with a blond roux.

Recipes

Plan of Work

Report & Reflect

Results

• Describe the outcomes of the lab class

We successfully made broiled seabass with hollandaise sauce and grilled vegetables this week in class. The cooking process went smoothly, but it was time-consuming. Surprisingly, filleting was the hardest part of preparing the fish, while broiling was effortless. We spent most of the class whisking together the hollandaise sauce, which was worth it because our hard work produced an exceptional sauce. In comparison to the last few classes where we made sauce, I found the process this time to be less stressful; it turns out that teamwork really does make the dream work!

• Describe how well the technique/cooking method worked

This week, we used broiling, grilling, sauteing, and a combination of cooking methods (for the sauce); all of the methods worked very well. Broiling and grilling allowed the fish and vegetables to have a crisp exterior while maintaining the juiciness/softness of the interior. Grilling the vegetables was a tad bit more complicated than broiling the fish, mainly because we couldn't leave the veggie skewers unattended like we could with the seabass. Additionally, a few vegetables were cut too thick, so they appeared perfectly grilled on the outside but were undercooked (firm and cold) in the middle. Sauteing was used to cook the leeks; it has become my favorite cooking method because it consistently produces soft, flavorful food. The hollandaise sauce called for a combination of cooking methods, all of which worked very well; we used reduction, straining, double boiling, whipping, and whisking. My partner and I took turns whisking the sauce while the other added drops of clarified butter; our teamwork prevented the sauce from breaking because somebody was constantly whisking without the worry of becoming fatigued.

• Describe the sensory results of the dish

  • Taste

Truthfully, the entire dish was completely bland. Despite marinating the vegetables, they tasted as if they were unseasoned. The vegetable skewers would have benefited from being seasoned with additional salt. The skin of the seabass was spicy and slightly salty, but the natural flavor of the meat overpowered the seasoning - despite using a heavy amount. Perhaps I did not use a sufficient amount of butter to allow the seasoning to stick to the skin prior to broiling. The hollandaise sauce offered a delicious, rich taste but did not compliment the main dishes as well as I had expected.

• Flavor

The natural flavor of the seabass was strong, and the seasoned skin provided hints of flavor. We decided to torch the skin of the fish last minute, which provided a smoky flavor and helped bring out the flavorful oils. The grilled vegetable skewers tasted as if we had not marinated at them at all; nevertheless, they were delicious and juicy with their natural flavor. The hollandaise sauce presented a rich, buttery flavor with hints of lemon and cayenne pepper.

• Texture

If there is one thing that turned out perfect in regard to the broiled seabass, it would be the texture. We successfully achieved a tender, flaky texture on the inside with a crispy edge. Broiling the seabass carmelized the skin, but torching further crispened it to our desire. Most of the vegetables were soft and fully cooked, but a few larger pieces of zucchini were still firm and cold in the center. The hollandaise sauce was perfectly smooth, with a round texture.

• Appearance

Our plate presentation was much better than last week's dish. The plate I chose ended up being too small and ultimately looked sloppy, but I chose it for its rustic, beachy blue color initially. My idea was to curve the grilled vegetables around the circle rim of the plate and have it wrap around the sauce with only a half piece of fish. We accidentally forgot to cut the fillet smaller, so it took up more space than planned; this also left a large space directly in the center of the plate, which we decided to fill with drops of the hollandaise sauce. The broiled seabass was not super visually appealing initially, so we decided to torch it for a darker, charred look. We tried our best to place the vegetables on the plate in a way that the grill marks were visible, but many of them had grill marks on the wrong side instead of the skin. I decided to garnish the grilled, torched seabass with round slices of leek at the last minute because the sauteed bed of leeks was not as visible under the fish as I had hoped for.

Evaluation of results

• Explain and discuss the important outcomes using external references and citations

The most common reason for bland fish is that it was overcooked, but that was not the case this week. Cooked seabass is actually just "a very mild white fish that’s tender and flaky. Despite its bland flavor, it doesn’t possess an unpleasant odor" (Blog Chef, 2022). The seabass's seared skin could have yielded more flavor if we had seasoned it more prior to broiling. The grilled vegetable skewers were cut too big, prohibiting them from cooking entirely. We also could have grilled the vegetables a bit longer to allow for the grill marks to be more prominent and to give the zucchini a chance to cook longer. Further seasoning the fish and vegetables would have enhanced the flavor of the two dishes.

• Discuss the techniques that did work well. Provide an explanation of why they did work.

Broiling the seabass worked well, as this method yielded a tender, moist fish with seared edges. However, we preferred the skin to have a more singed appearance and decided to torch it. Grilling the vegetables was adequate, but smaller pieces with better placement on the skewer would have been more suitable for this cooking method. All of the techniques we utilized for the hollandaise sauce worked exceptionally well, mostly because of our teamwork.

• Discuss the techniques that did not work well. Provide an explanation of why they did work.

All techniques were appropriate for the dish and worked very well this week.

• Discuss the particular improvements and changes that could be implemented to improve the outcomes

Next time I make grilled vegetable skewers, I will be more mindful of the placement so that the peel has grill marks instead of the actual vegetable. As I mentioned before, I should have cut the vegetables into smaller pieces as well. I would not change anything about our cooking process and technique for the broiled seabass and hollandaise sauce.

Conclusions

• Provide a concise and clear recap of the outcomes of the class.

In lab class this week, we successfully prepared broiled seabass with hollandaise sauce and grilled vegetables. The cooking process was smooth but time-consuming. Filleting the seabass was the most challenging step, but the technique we used worked well, along with all of the other cooking methods. Furthermore, we demonstrated effective teamwork when making the hollandaise sauce, which really helped us achieve the desired taste, flavor, texture, and appearance of the sauce.

• Discuss the specific learning outcomes of the class and link them to the learning objectives that were previously identified.

My goal was to correctly fillet the seabass, making sure to remove all bones and acquire the right amount of depth when scoring the fish. I successfully met this learning objective, though it was definitely challenging. Scoring the fish looks easier than it actually is, and needs a sharp knife with a delicate hand to avoid cutting all the way through the fillet.

• Discuss additional skills and knowledge that were learned outside of the previously identified learning objectives.

I learned a lot about the characteristics and taste profile of broiled seabass. I had expected it to be very flavorful when it is really supposed to be a mild dish.

• Explain the potential circumstances that the newly-found skills and knowledge could be applied.

The skills acquired in this class can be applied in any kitchen setting. Understanding the characteristics of seabass and the flavor profile will help me make future cooking choices.

• Detail areas that still require practice and improvement.

My plate presentation still requires improvement. I commonly focus more on the colors and height/levels on the plate but need to concentrate more on the arrangement of the food so I don't keep making the mistake of overcrowding everything.

References

Everything You Need to Know About Making Hollandaise Sauce. Emilee Unterkoefler. 27 June 2023.https://www.lifesavvy.com/85829/everything-you-need-to-know-about-making-hollandaise-sauce/

Grilled Vegetable Kabobs (Two Ways). Suzy Karadsheh. 23 June 2021. https://www.themediterraneandish.com/vegetable-kabobs/

How to cook sea bass perfectly every time. Monaz Dumasia. 12 April 2021. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a36091193/how-to-cook-sea-bass/

Sea Bass vs. Halibut: A Comprehensive Comparison. Kristina Billan. 12 August 2023.

https://www.savorysuitcase.com/sea-bass-vs-halibut/#:~:text=Its%20flesh%20is%20tender%20and,versatile%20choice%20for%20culinary%20creations.

What does sea bass taste like?. BlogChef. (2022, November 11). https://blogchef.net/what-does-sea-bass-taste-like/