Seared Rockfish with Carrot-Top Salsa Verde
Lean white fish gets a real crust here, which is almost entirely a matter of a bone-dry surface and leaving it alone. The carrot tops you'd otherwise bin become a sharp, herby sauce, and the carrots and leek roast alongside to catch it.
Ingredients
- Frozen Alaskan rockfish filletsabout 1 lb / 450 g, 3 portions
- Carrot tops, the tender fronds only2 loosely packed cups
- Carrotsthe bunch, about 6, halved lengthwise
- Leek1, white and pale green, halved and cut in 2-inch lengths
- Shallot1, half minced for the sauce, half sliced for roasting
- Garlic1 clove
- Capers or a chopped cornichon1 tbsp, if you have them
- Lemon1, juice and a little zest
- Olive oilabout 1/2 cup total
- Neutral oil for the pan1 tbsp
- Butter1 tbsp
- Salt and black pepperto taste
Method
Thaw the fish safely: sealed in a bag, submerged in cold water, 20–30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge. Never on the counter.
Watch for
Flesh gives slightly under a fingertip with no icy core.
Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Toss the carrots, leek, and sliced shallot with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan, cut sides down, and roast 25–30 minutes.
Watch for
Carrot edges gone deep amber and the leek collapsing rather than curling dry.
Make the salsa verde. Chop the carrot tops fine with the garlic, minced shallot, and capers, then stir in about 1/3 cup olive oil, the lemon juice, a little zest, and salt. Taste and push the acid until it stings a little.
Watch for
Loose and spoonable, not a paste — it should slide off the spoon.
Dry the fish hard. Blot both sides with paper towel, then blot again, and salt just before it hits the pan.
Watch for
The surface looks matte, not glossy. This is the whole difference between crust and steam.
Get a heavy skillet hot over medium-high with the neutral oil. Lay the fillets in presentation-side down and don't touch them for 3–4 minutes.
Watch for
The oil shimmers and thins before the fish goes in; the edges of the fillet turn opaque and gold creeps up the sides.
Add the butter, flip, and cook 1–2 minutes more, spooning foaming butter over the top. Pull at 145°F / 63°C.
Watch for
The flesh flakes when nudged with a fork tip and looks just barely opaque at the thickest part.
Plate the vegetables, set the fish on top crust-side up, and spoon the salsa verde over generously.
Watch for
Sauce pooling into the vegetables — that's the point.