Cooking Recipes

Chef Michael Anthony’s Cured Striped Bass, Avocado Squash and Perilla Leaves

You have to ~sea~ this outstanding fish recipe for yourself

Michael Anthony is executive chef and partner at Gramercy Tavern, which holds a Michelin star and has received numerous recognitions from the James Beard Foundation, Zagat and Wine Spectator. Anthony won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2015.

July 10, 2023 1:31 pm

Just recently, my amazing husband, David, and our pal Michael Anthony — executive chef at NYC’s famed Gramercy Tavern, cookbook author, philanthropist and all-around awesome dude — met up at a farmers’ market. Their mission was to explore the bounty of gorgeous, ripe, peak-summer produce, homing in on lesser-known veggies…the sorts of strange and wonderful items we’ve all seen and said to ourselves, “What is that? And how in the name of all that’s holy do I cook it?” Lucky for you, there’s no one better equipped to answer those questions than Michael. And he’s sharing a recipe that he invented on the spot, featuring a bunch of the veggies he and David found! Their conversation is brilliant, insightful and revealing. Delicious, even. So I’ll stop things right here and let you drool over this striped bass recipe for yourself. – NPH

Chef Michael Anthony's Cured Striped Bass, Avocado Squash and Perilla Leaves

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

1 lb. striped bass
3 Tbsp. salt .
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 avocado squash
1 bunch Perilla leaves
3 radishes
1 Fresno pepper
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 lime
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

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1. Trim the striped bass, removing all skin, bones and bloodline.
2. In a bowl, mix salt, sugar, 3 chopped Perilla leaves and the zest from the lime.
3. Toss the striped bass and coat with the salt-sugar cure. Cover the fish in the cure and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients (about 15-20 minutes).
4. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice paper-thin rounds of the avocado squash, radishes, garlic and Fresno pepper. Leave the Fresno seeds for slightly spicier notes.
5. Wash and pick 8 medium-sized Perilla leaves.
6. Juice the lime.
7. Remove the striped bass from the cure, rinse in water and pat dry. Slice or dice the fish.
8. Gently toss all the ingredients in a bowl, and season with a pinch of salt. Add any fresh herbs, lettuce leaves and edible flowers you might have on hand to add to the color, flavor and texture.
9. Plate in a harmonious scatter, as if these fresh ingredients just fell naturally from the sky. Enjoy!