Frank’s New Orleans Trout and Redfish Sauce Piquante

Delicious sauce piquante made with trout and redfish. Savor all the flavors from New Orleans in this dish.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 Louisiana redfish filets, 6 to 8 ounces each, cut into pieces
• 6 to 8 speckled trout filets, 6 to 8 ounces each, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup corn oil
• 1 cup yellow onions, diced small
• 3/4 cup celery, diced small
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped fine
• 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup parsley, minced
• 1 12-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel Tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 3 teaspoons Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons Frank Davis Garlic Hot Sauce
• 1 large lemon, zested and thinly sliced
• 6 cups cooked long grain rice
• 3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
• 2 lemons cut in wedges for garnish
• Buttered French bread for sopping up the delicious sauce
  

Directions:

1. Take the trout and redfish filets, wash them thoroughly under cold running water, and trim away every trace of the bloodline. Leaving it on will give the final dish a harsh and oily taste. Check for any sliver of rib bones that might have escaped the filleting knife. Pat the filets dry and lay them on a sheet of waxed paper on the countertop.
2. Meanwhile, take a 6-quart Dutch oven or oval roaster, place it on the stovetop over a medium flame, and pour in the corn oil. When hot, add the fish pieces to the pot a few at a time. When they turn slightly brown around the edges, remove them and set them on a platter to cool.
3. After all the fish has been seared, add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and parsley into the same pot and cook, stirring constantly, until the veggies wilt.
4. Now add the tomato paste to the vegetable mixture and whisk until the veggies combine with the paste, about 5 minutes.
5. Next add the chicken broth and the red wine and stir in the Ro-tel tomatoes (along with the liquid they came packed in). Then whisk to smooth out the paste, this is important because once the fish are added back to the pot you won’t be able to stir the pot.
6. A smooth rich tomato-base sauce should begin taking form. At this point, add to the pot the remaining seasonings except for the green onions and lemon wedges. When combined, stir into a uniform blend.
7. Now reduce the flame under the pot to medium-low, cover tightly, and cook for about 30 minutes. When ready, place the filets into the sauce side-by-side, but be careful not to break them up.
8. Then once more, cover the pot, reduce the fire to very low, and simmer the filets until they flake easily with a fork. But don’t stir the pot again! It will merely reduce the fish to nothing more than “fish flakes.”
9. Finally, when you’re ready to eat, spoon out over a plate of steamed rice a helping of the fish and a portion of the sauce in which it cooked. Then sprinkle on a handful of green onions and garnish with a wedge of lemon. Serve with hot French bread for sopping