Black-tip Shark Steak Dinner

I got two nice Black-tip Shark steaks at a local market recently. This dinner for two was a result.

You don't often find Black-tip Shark available, at least in my local area, and it is a good semi-firm white fish that can stand up to grilling, poaching, high-heat cooking -- your choice. In this case I decided to poach the fish and enjoy with a 'sauce within a sauce.'

Ingredients:

Two shark steaks -- about 1/2 lb each (mine were about an inch+ thick)
Creamed spinach
Shirred eggs (two)
Lobster sauce
Roasted red pepper sauce
Rice

For the steak:

I poached the steak in about 3/4 inch of liquid:

water
white wine (about 1/4 cup)
juice of one-half lemon
pinch of bouquet garni

Poach on a slow roll until just done, about 7-10 minutes.

For the spinach:

4 ounces or so fresh spinach coarsely chopped
olive oil
heavy cream (or light sour cream)
white pepper (or black)
salt to taste

Saute spinach in olive oil in a skillet until nicely wilted, sprinkle on seasonings, stir in a bit of cream or sour cream to smooth out

Shirred eggs

Place a tablespoon of heavy cream in a small baking dish (one for each egg of a size for egg to fit nicely -- see picture). Place egg on top, dollop top with a bit of butter and a bit more cream. Bake in oven to desired doneness (runny or hard). (Or you can make poached eggs.)

Rice: I used plan white rice, rinsed to get some of starch off, cooked as usual (one cup rice -- two cups water, bring to a boil, reduce to low simmer until liquid absorbed).

Roasted red bell pepper sauce

one medium red bell pepper roasted
1/4 cup light or non-fat sour cream (you can use the regular stuff, depends on whether you want the fat content)
juice from 1/4lemon

You can roast bell peppers on your grill, or under a broiler, or you can now buy them jarred in a store. If you do yourself, roast until outer skin is blackened, but flesh is still moist (turn as needed). Cool and then peel of charred skin.

I used my food processor to mix this up well. Note: this is almost a red pepper coulis and you can vary it at will, just don't overpower the fish.

Now for the clincher: the Lobster sauce

I made this sauce as I would make a lobster bisque only it was thicker.

Mirepoux (finally chopped carrots, celery, onions)-- about a cup's worth
butter and olive oil (or canola oil)
one-two small lobsters (the more the richer the sauce)
heavy cream
seasonings (light pinches of herbs to your taste)

Boil lobsters in large pot until done (5+ minutes). Cool. Reserve liquid. [Note: to use less liquid and not have to cook it down, I use only enough water to cover half the lobster, then I turn them once while boiling).

Saute mirepoix in butter and oil until it begins to brown (how brown will affect the richness and flavor of your sauce/bisque, I like it fairly brown, but be sure not to burn).

Cut up lobsters, remove meat, and save everything including all the liquid that comes out as you disect them. Return all shells,liquid, etc., to the pot with reserved liquid and simmer for 1/2 hr to an hour. You want to glean all those great flavors from the lobster shells, etc.

Strain the lobster liquid, toss out carcasses. Add mirepoix to liquid and simmer again for a 1/2 hour, add any herbs you wish at this time (all of this simmering will help reduce the amount of liquid and thicken your sauce). Strain the liquid again reserving mirepoix. Add the mirepoix to a cuisinart or blender with a small amount of the liquid and blend on high for a couple of minutes. Then strain this through a medium fine sieve pushing as much of it through as possible. The twice-cooked mirepoix adds to the flavor and thickness. Add this mixture back into the rest of the liquid and simmer again. Add cream (you don't need alot, a few tablespoons will do). To thicken further you can add a bit of flour to some of the liquid and heat to a higher temperature for a bit. You can also add some light sour cream to help smooth out more and it will add fewer calories and fat than the heavy cream. Add in some of the lobster meat, chopped. Voila! (Use the rest of the lobster meat for some other delectable dish.

Put together: see picture below. And serve immediately. Enjoy.