Grilled Striped Bass with Sweet Corn Succotash & Grill Butter
By Andrew Zimmern
In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I’m featuring two distinct preparations of fresh-caught striped bass that celebrate summer’s bounty. First up, I’m making an elegant bass crudo, where pristine slices of salt-cured bass are served with ripe stone fruits, crisp shallots, and a vibrant chile oil – a dish that perfectly balances sweet, heat, and acidity (get the recipe). Then, I’ll demonstrate how to grill striped bass, and top it with an herb-packed compound butter, served alongside a smoky corn succotash studded with charred poblanos. These make for some delicious, memorable summer meals.
Grilled Striped Bass with Corn Succotash
Ingredients
The Bass
- Two 6-to-8-ounce portions striped bass filet, skin removed
- Neutral oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Corn succotash (recipe below)
- Grill butter (recipe below)
Instructions
Prepare a grill for medium-high direct heat cooking. Season the grill grate liberally with neutral oil.
Oil the filets, season with salt and pepper. Place the fish pieces directly over the heat. I like to grill them 80% of the way on this side, about 5 minutes, and flip for the last minute. You want to grill it to medium rare, remove and let it rest. Serve on top of the succotash with a dollop of grill butter.
Grill Butter
- 2 sticks of salted butter, room temperature
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 1/4 cup minced chives
- 1/4 cup minced tarragon
- Salt and black pepper
Let 2 sticks of salted butter come to room temperature. Place in a food processor with remaining ingredients. Pulse to combine well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Utilize right away, or roll in a log using plastic wrap, tie the ends like a bon-bon and refrigerate or freeze for serving with any grilled foods.
Corn Succotash
- 2 ears corn
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 thyme sprigs
- Chile flakes, to taste
- 2 poblano peppers, diced
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
Grill 2 ears of corn and cut the kernels from the cob. I brush mine with oil to get a little more char. Save the kernels and toss the cobs.
Place a large pan over medium direct heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the diced onion, thyme and chile flake. Cook, stirring, until beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the diced poblano and cook for another 5 minutes.
When the onions and peppers are toasty, add the corn kernels. Keep tossing until the corn is nice and hot, season and serve. If you like, toss in some halved cherry tomatoes when the succotash comes off the fire.
