Pan-Seared Striped Bass with Ramp Butter and Spring Pea Shoots

Striped bass — called striper by New Englanders — is the prestige sport and table fish of the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to the Connecticut River. This dinner-party preparation pairs the sweet, firm white flesh with ramp butter (ramps being foraged wild leeks, another fleeting spring obsession in New England) and a tangle of raw pea shoots that wilt gently against the hot fish.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Ramp Butter

• 115g (½ cup / 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4–5 ramps (wild leeks), cleaned, white bulbs and green tops separated
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Fish

• 4 skin-on striped bass fillets (about 200g / 7 oz each)
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (canola or grapeseed)
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

• 120g (4 oz) fresh pea shoots or pea tendrils
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Flaky sea salt
• Lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Make the ramp butter: Finely mince ramp bulbs. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, gently cook minced ramp bulbs in 1 tsp butter until just softened, 2 minutes. Cool completely. Finely chop ramp greens. Beat room-temperature butter with cooked ramp bulbs, raw ramp greens, lemon juice, thyme, flaky salt, and pepper until well combined. Roll into a log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least 30 minutes, up to 3 days). Slice into rounds before serving.

2. Score the skin of each bass fillet with 3–4 shallow diagonal cuts (this prevents curling). Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.

3. Heat a large cast-iron or stainless skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add oil and swirl to coat. Place fillets skin-side down and press gently with a fish spatula for the first 30 seconds to keep skin flat.

4. Cook skin-side down without moving, 4–5 minutes until skin is deeply golden and crisp and the fish is opaque about three-quarters of the way up the sides. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more. The fish is done when it just flakes at the thickest part.

5. While fish rests, toss pea shoots with olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of flaky salt.

6. Plate each fillet skin-side up. Top with a round of ramp butter. Pile pea shoots alongside. Serve with lemon wedges.

Cook's Notes: The key to crispy skin is threefold: completely dry the fish, get the pan very hot before adding oil, and resist the urge to move the fish. If ramps are unavailable, substitute 1 tbsp minced chives plus 1 small garlic clove for the butter. The ramp butter is also extraordinary on grilled corn or stirred into risotto.