Recipe: Coconut Crusted Grouper

We're celebrating seafood and sandwiches, using Yuzu in a side salad and sharing an end of summer cocktail. These recipes were shared by David Reyes, Executive Chef for St. Petersburg Distillery.

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Homemade Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup dill pickles, chopped
2 tsp capers, chopped
1 tbsp shallots, chopped
2 tbsp scallions, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 drops hot sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in bowl and fold together.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, or use immediately.

Slaw

Ingredients

½ cup pineapple, chopped
1 cup Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
¾ cup homemade tartar sauce (see recipe above)
2 tsp honey

Directions

Combine all ingredients in bowl and fold together.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, or use immediately.

Yuzu Vinaigrette

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp yuzu juice
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp honey
kosher salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl or shake in jar until well combined.
Pour over salad and garnish with sliced tomatoes and pickled onions.

Coconut Crusted Grouper Sandwich

Sandwich Ingredients

4 pieces of grouper (5 oz each)
6 cups oil, for frying
4 potato buns
1 tomato, sliced

Dredge Ingredients

1 cup tempura flour

Tempura Batter Ingredients

2 cups tempura flour
1 cup coconut rum (Oak and Palm Coconut Rum by Saint Petersburg Distillery or preferred brand)
1 cup water
2 tsp salt

Tempura Batter Directions

Combine tempura flour, coconut rum, water, and salt in bowl.
Whisk until batter is smooth and lump-free.

Coconut Panko Crust Ingredients

1 cup coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened)
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Coconut Panko Crust Directions

Mix coconut flakes, panko breadcrumbs, and chopped cilantro in bowl
Set aside for grouper crust.

To Build Sandwich

Heat oil to 350° F.
Pat dry grouper pieces with paper towels.
Set up dredging station with bowl of tempura flour for initial coating.
Use dry-wet-dry method to coat grouper. First, dredge fish in tempura flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip floured grouper into prepared tempura batter, allowing excess to drip off. Finally, coat grouper with coconut-panko crust mixture, pressing gently to ensure proper adherence.
Fry coated grouper in hot oil for 5–6 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
While fish fries, toast potato buns.
Spread 1 tsp of Homemade Tartar Sauce on bottom half of each toasted bun.
Place slice of tomato over tartar sauce.
Once grouper is fried, place it on top of tomato slices.
Add slaw on top of grouper, then top sandwich with other half of bun.

Hibiscus Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup hot water
1 cup white granulated sugar
¼ cup dried hibiscus
2 cinnamon sticks (broken)

Directions

In small saucepan, heat of water until hot, but not boiling.
Add sugar to hot water. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in dried hibiscus cinnamon sticks. Turn off heat, cover saucepan, and let mixture steep 10-15 minutes.
After steeping, strain mixture into glass container to remove hibiscus and cinnamon pieces.
Allow syrup to cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours before use. Syrup will keep up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.