*The Chef Next Door*: Copy Cat AGAIN!

Oh dear...I've done it again. Completely neglected the blog. Between the exciting new business ventures and the brilliant Summer in Alabama weather, I have been beyond distracted! My apologies, followers. But make no mistake about it, I am never distracted from my first love-----cooking. :) If you'll refer back to one of my very first posts- a restaurant review of Luciano here in Huntsville- I describe a particularly spectacular dish that Taylor ordered for our Valentine's dinner:

Grilled Red Grouper with a Cabbage, Pancetta, Corn, and Potato Hash topped with Eggplant Tapenade $30

It was incredible. It was delicious. It was beautiful. It was expensive. And seeing as it was the "special" of the evening, there's little to no chance we would ever be able to order it again. Well, here is The Chef Next Door rendition- with a few changes here and there. Guess I'll have to toot my horn for a second because I think my version was even better. Or maybe it was just the Pawley's Island breeze filling our nostrils and the luminous sunset flooding the plates as we devoured our dinner.....who knows? Either way, here is a delicious and for-the-most-part healthy seafood dish for you to please your friends and family with this summer.

The Chef Next Door's Lemon Roasted Grouper with a Cabbage, Prosciutto, Corn, Potato, and Asparagus Hash

Ingredients:

1 beautiful Grouper Fillet per person

Several slices of lemon

Generous sprinkle of salt and pepper

Drizzle of Olive Oil

1 package of shredded Cabbage

1 ear of White or Yellow sweet Corn

1 bag of multi-colored petite Potatoes

1 bundle of Asparagus

1 package (or 5-6 pieces of Prosciutto)

3 Tablespoons of butter

Pinch of Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Salt

Balsamic Reduction for garnish

Directions:

1. Prep all the vegetables- strip the corn from the cob, remove the woody ends off the asparagus and cut the stalks into 1" pieces, cut the petite potatoes into bite-size pieces.

2. Place the Prosciutto in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes to crisp up.

3. Rub the grouper with Olive Oil, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon slices on a baking sheet and top with the Grouper. Arrange more slices on top of the grouper, then place it in the 350 degree oven to roast, about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets.

(Note: this is a picture from a different recipe, but I used it just for you to see how to arrange the fish on top of the lemon slices.)

4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Separately blanch the corn, then the potatoes, then the asparagus until each item is perfectly tender. (Corn- about 4 minutes, Potatoes- about 6 minutes, Asparagus- about 2 minutes. Make SURE to do the Asparagus last because it will turn the water green.)

5. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the cabbage, corn, potatoes, and asparagus and begin to briefly saute the vegetables together. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and a bit of Garlic Salt. When the vegetables are hot, add in the crumbled crispy Prosciutto and toss everything to combine.

(Sorry for the blurry photo....was in a rush!)

6. To serve, decoratively drizzle some Balsamic reduction in the bottom of a flat bowl or plate. Place a generous mound of the Hash in the center, then perch the roasted Grouper on top, and place a slice of the roasted lemon on top of the fish.