Andouille Crusted Black Drum with Sauteed Kale and Pecan Butter Sauce

New Orleans has always been a great food town, and nobody knows that better than Emeril Lagasse!  On this show Emeril takes us to some of his new favorite fresh New Orleans spots, Cochon Butcher and Crescent City Farmers Market, for some traditional and new ingredients.   Back in his kitchen, he use these ingredients to make dueling shrimp – a seared salad style and the new NOLA barbecue style, beer poached boudin with grain mustard, a dynamite charcuterie sandwich using housemade duck pastrami and andouille crusted black drum fish with pecan butter sauce served over quick sauteed spicy kale.  Ooo-wee, you will feel like you are in the French Quarter!

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Total: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 black drum filets or your favorite fish filet
  • 2 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
  • 12 ounces andouille sausage, casing removed and food processed to a meal consistency, plus
  • 4 ounces, diced
  • 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tablespoons, unsalted butter
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Dash hot sauce (optional)
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 pound kale, cleaned, stemmed and torn
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 12-ounces processed andouille sausage , 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
  3. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Season both sides of the fish filets with the remaining Creole seasoning and add to a dry hot pan. Cook the fish for 2 minutes. Remove the filets from the saute pan, flipping the uncooked sides down on to a sheet pan. Top each filet with a generous amount of the bread crumb mixture and place in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
  4. Heat a dry skillet to toast the pecans, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 4-ounces diced andouille and 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute for 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Turn off the heat, add the butter, scallions, and parsley.
  5. Heat another skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and kale. Season the kale with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute until wilted.
  6. To serve: First pour the sauce onto a platter. Top the sauce with the sauteed kale. Top the kale with the crusted fish filets.