Walnut-Crusted Striped Bass

Recipe from The Grape’s chef Jason Gorman.

Cranberry-Mango Chutney

1/8 cup minced garlic
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup honey
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 small mango, diced
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1 stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon diced fresh ginger

Sauté garlic in a saucepan until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until soft.

Balsamic Syrup

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup sugar

Reduce vinegar and sugar over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the consistency of syrup.

Black-Walnut Crust

1 cup black walnuts
4 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs
1/8 cup garlic cloves, roasted
1/8 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Toast walnuts in a large skillet over low heat until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature. Place walnuts and remaining ingredients in a food processor and grind to a fine powder.

Gorgonzola Grits

1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups instant grits
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

In a deep saucepan, sauté garlic in butter until golden brown. Add chicken stock and cream and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until grits are soft. Whisk in Gorgonzola to finish.

Striped Bass

1 1/2 pounds striped sea bass filets
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh rosemary sprigs (for garnish)

Coat filets in the walnut mixture (recipe above). In a large heavy skillet, sauté fish in olive oil over moderately high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Do not over-brown. Salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place fish over grits and top with chutney. Drizzle plate with balsamic syrup and garnish with rosemary. Serves 4.