Emerald City Lingcod with Fiddlehead Ferns and Marionberry Sauce
A plate of the Pacific Northwest in spring: pan-roasted lingcod crusted with Emerald City Rub, fiddlehead ferns sautéed in brown butter with shallot and lemon, and a glossy, tart marionberry sauce.
Why It Works
Lingcod is lean, sweet and firm enough to take a hard sear. The rub's smoked salt and maple sugar build a crust, and its lemon thyme, verbena and pink peppercorn match the lemony fiddleheads. Tart marionberry brings the sweetness and acid that tie the plate together.
Notes
Starter recipe; adjust to taste. Fiddleheads are in season roughly April to June; frozen ones work year-round, or swap asparagus. Always boil fiddleheads before sautéing. Halibut, rockfish or black cod work in place of lingcod. The sauce keeps 5 days refrigerated.
RECIPE CARD
Emerald City Lingcod with Fiddlehead Ferns and Marionberry Sauce
Yield: 4 servings | Time: 45 minutes
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Ingredients
Marionberry sauce
- 1½ cups marionberries, fresh or frozen (blackberries work)
- 1 small shallot, minced
- ⅓ cup dry white wine (Oregon Pinot Gris)
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp white balsamic or champagne vinegar
- ½ tsp Emerald City Rub
- 2 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
Fiddleheads
- 12 oz fiddlehead ferns
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- Kosher salt
Lingcod
- 4 lingcod fillets, 6 oz each, about 1 inch thick
- 4 tsp Emerald City Rub (Destiny Dust)
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 sprigs thyme
To finish
- Chopped chives, lemon wedges, flaky salt
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Simmer marionberries, shallot, wine, honey, vinegar and ½ tsp rub, mashing the berries, 10–12 minutes until thick and jammy. Press through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Return to low heat and whisk in the cold butter a cube at a time until glossy. Keep warm.
- Clean the fiddleheads. Trim the brown ends and rub off the papery brown husks. Rinse in several changes of cold water.
- Blanch. Boil the fiddleheads in well-salted water 5 minutes, then shock in ice water and drain well. Never eat fiddleheads raw or undercooked.
- Season the fish. Pat the lingcod very dry and season all over with the rub, about 1 tsp per fillet. Let sit 10 minutes. The rub contains smoked salt, so add no extra salt.
- Sear. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Lay in the fillets, presentation side down, and sear without moving 3–4 minutes until golden. The maple sugar browns quickly, so lower the heat if it darkens too fast.
- Baste. Flip, add butter and thyme, and spoon the foaming butter over the fish 2–3 minutes, until it flakes and reads 135°F.
- Sauté the fiddleheads. In another skillet, cook the butter until nutty brown. Add shallot and garlic for 1 minute, then the fiddleheads for 2–3 minutes. Finish with lemon zest, juice and salt.
- Plate. Swoosh marionberry sauce on each plate, pile on the fiddleheads and top with the lingcod. Finish with chives, flaky salt and lemon.
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