Pignoli-Crusted Snapper with Wisconsin Artisan Cheese
Coating:
- 1½ cups toasted pignoli (pine nuts)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
- ½ cup (about 2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 (6-ounce) red snapper fillets
- 2 eggs, whisked with 2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
- 1⅓ cups (8 ounces) Italian-style Gorgonzola cheese, softened
- White pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in chiffonade (very fine slices)
- 4 tablespoons mild olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onion tops
- Lemon slices, for garnish
Instructions:
This Pignoli-Crusted Snapper with Wisconsin Artisan Cheese makes an incredible main course.
- For the coating, combine the pignoli, flour, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is the texture of fine breadcrumbs but is not pasty. Mix with the Parmesan and spread on a sheet of wax paper.
- For the fillets, dry the fillets, dip them in the egg-milk mixture, and then coat them in the pignoli-Parmesan mixture. Gently press the coating on to ensure that it adheres to the fish. If time permits, chill on a rack for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Combine the Gorgonzola cheese, white pepper, cream, and basil, set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide, heavy skillet to medium high; add 2 of the fillets. When a crust forms and the fish moves easily, turn and brown briefly. Remove, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and repeat with the last two fillets. Return all of the fillets to the skillet and finish cooking them in the oven until the fillets are opaque when pierced with a knife tip, or until they reach a desired doneness. Remove from the oven and serve each fillet on a large dollop of Gorgonzola cheesebasil cream. Garnish the fillets with the green onion tops and lemon. Serve hot.