Roasted Fish with Shellfish Butter pairs seared fish with a smoky, spicy butter sauce made from guajillo and chipotle chiles, shellfish stock, and tomato paste—finished with cold butter and (optional) lump crabmeat for a rich, velvety finish.

Serves 4

The sauce:

1 guajillo or ancho pepper

1 morita or dried chipotle pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 quart crab, crawfish or shrimp stock

8 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces picked crabmeat, optional

4 6-ounce pieces of white fish like redfish, snapper, grouper, cobia, black drum, seatrout, white bass, crappie or bass

Salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

Serve with:

Poached Potatoes

Sauteed Zucchini

Remove the stem and most of the seeds from the dried peppers. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepot. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes or until the oil and tomato paste separate. Add the chiles and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook this until very reduced and only ¾ cup of liquid remains. Transfer the contents to a blender and puree until smooth. With the blender running, add the butter, one piece at a time, until thickened and glossy. Return the sauce to the pot and keep warm, but not too hot while you cook the fish. Before serving add the crabmeat to the sauce.

To roast the fish, season the fillet with salt. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a medium, heavy-bottomed, oven-proof pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter foams, add the fillet to the pan. Cook this fillet without moving it until a visible brown crust begins to form, about 3-4 minutes. transfer the fish to the oven without disturbing it. Cook the fish until the very last bit of raw, translucent flesh on the top is just cooked through. The timing will depend on the thickness of the fish and the type of fish, too. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for a minute, during which time the fillet will loosen from the pan. Serve immediately with the shellfish butter sauce, rice or poached potatoes and a green vegetable like sauteed zucchini.