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Basque Grouper in Green Sauce

Mero en Salsa Verde

A Basque classic from the old port taverns of Bilbao and San Sebastián: thick grouper steaks gently cooked in olive oil, garlic, wine and parsley, with a few clams opening on top.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 20 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium
Photo: Arnaud 25 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Served with: Blistered Padrón Peppers ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the green sauce

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Season the fish. Salt the grouper on both sides and let it sit 10 minutes. Pat dry and dust lightly with flour.
  2. Soften the garlic. In a wide clay cazuela or skillet, warm the olive oil over low heat and cook the garlic 2–3 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
  3. Build the sauce. Stir in the tablespoon of flour for 1 minute, then add the wine and let it bubble 1 minute. Pour in the stock and half the parsley and simmer 3 minutes.
  4. Cook the fish. Lay the grouper in the sauce skin side up. Cook 4 minutes, gently shaking the pan back and forth so the sauce thickens and turns silky. Turn the fish and add the clams.
  5. Finish. Cover and cook 3–4 minutes more, until the clams open and the fish flakes. Throw away any clams that stay shut, sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and serve in the pan.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Galicia, Spain

Blistered Padrón Peppers

Pimientos de Padrón

Little green peppers fried in olive oil until blistered and showered with sea salt. As the Galicians say, some are hot and some are not.

  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 5 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 8 oz (225 g) Padrón or shishito peppers
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Coarse or flaky sea salt

How to make it

  1. Dry the peppers. Rinse the peppers and pat them completely dry so the oil does not spatter.
  2. Blister. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers in one layer and cook 3–4 minutes, tossing, until blistered all over and slightly softened.
  3. Salt and serve. Tip onto a plate, sprinkle generously with sea salt and serve right away. Eat them by the stem.

Photo: Gordito1869 · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Grouper

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Nassau, BahamasBahamian Steamed Grouper
Greek IslandsGreek Island Baked Grouper
Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicGrouper in Creole Sauce
Clearwater, FloridaFlorida Fried Grouper Sandwich