Hello everyone! Happy early spring and thank you for visiting us here at the Eaton Street Market, where you can dine in, walk up, or order fresh seafood for overnight home delivery.
You probably don’t need us to tell you that spring brings beautiful weather and great fishing conditions to Key West. But what you might not know is that grouper season in the Atlantic began on May 1, which means that one of the most delicious table fish in Key West is finally available again.
To commemorate this joyous event, we’re presenting a recipe for fried grouper that’s both delicious and simple to make. This recipe serves four adults and will demonstrate why the start of grouper season is cause for such excitement around here.
Pan Fried Key West Grouper
Note: Although this recipe calls specifically for red grouper, you can substitute black grouper filets if preferred.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 4 red grouper filets (approx 8 oz each)
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 tsp turmeric
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, halved and peeled
- 1/3 finely chopped white onion
- 1/3 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp fresh ground white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp of melted clarified butter
- Juice from a single lemon
- Salt to taste
Preparing the Fish
Once you’ve assembled and prepped the ingredients, here are the directions for preparation:
- Dry the filets and soak them in milk.
- Using a mortar and pestle, crush the fennel and turmeric into a medium-grained powder.
- Mix 1-1/2 garlic cloves and bay leaf into the powder.
- Add the powdered mix to the milk and mix thoroughly.
- Let the marinade sit for about 5 minutes and add a tablespoon of oil. Then set aside.
- Heat your pan over medium-high and add 1/4 cup canola oil.
- Add grouper filets to pan and fry for about 3 minutes per side.
- Carefully pat the filets dry and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Using a non-stick pan, heat the remaining oil and saute the remaining garlic for 2 minutes.
- Dust one side of each filet with flour.
- Place the filets into the heated pan flour side down.
- Fry until a thin crust begins to appear and dust tops of filets with flour.
- Flip the filets and fry for 7-8 minutes per side.
- Coat filets with clarified butter and flip again.
- Let cook until the filets turn a light golden color.
- Drizzle with lemon juice and cover for about five minutes prior to serving.
We suggest serving with a fresh salad, rice, or grilled vegetables. Enjoy your meal and we hope to see you next time!
