America's Test Kitchen (2000–…): Season 21, Episode 21 - Butter-Basted Fish and Succotash - full transcript

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

-Welcome to "America's
Test Kitchen" at home.

Today,
I'm butter-basting fish filets,



Jack's got some tips on shopping
for frozen seafood,

Lisa's lining up
her favorite spatulas,

and Elle's making
a beautiful succotash

with butter beans,
corn, and red pepper.

We've got so much in store
for you today,

so stick around.

♪♪

-Cooking fish at home
can be really tricky.

The fish is fragile.
It can overcook.

Not to mention the fact
that it's really expensive.

So I know why people go out
to seafood restaurants,

but it's actually
a restaurant technique

that we're gonna use today

that's gonna make you look
like a pro at home,



and it's super easy.

So, let's talk about
what I'm using here.

We've got two beautiful
cod filets.

They're about an inch thick,

and each of them
weighs around 6 ounces.

Now, that's pretty important.

You want to stick to this size
and thickness of fish,

but you can use halibut
or snapper of the similar size.

Now, I'm gonna set these aside
for just a second,

because the method
that we're using today

is butter basting.

Butter basting
is going to help us

cook the fish from the bottom up
and the top down,

nice and gentle.

But we're gonna get
some beautiful color

and great flavor.

So, of course,
we're gonna need butter.

And I want to prep everything
ahead of time

because the cooking method
goes really fast.

So I need about 3 tablespoons
of butter,

and I'm gonna cut the butter
into 1/2-inch pieces.

That's just so that
when I add them to our skillet,

they're gonna melt
super fast.

You don't have to be too precise
about this.

This really is just about
breaking it down in size.

So now I want to work
on a couple of other flavorings

that I'm gonna add
to the butter.

It's going to make a sauce
that tastes great.

So, I've got
two garlic cloves here,

and we're gonna
smash these cloves.

I'll smash them
with the side of my knife.

Just makes it easier to peel.

But you don't want
to mince the cloves,

or even cut them
into smaller pieces,

and that's because they'll burn
during this method.

So, keep them
in pretty large pieces,

as whole as possible is great.

If they break apart,
that's fine, too.

Next up, a couple of sprigs
of fresh thyme.

Fresh thyme is perfect.

It's got this woody stem.

It's gonna add
a really beautiful

herbal note to our sauce.

Now, I've been making
this recipe a lot,

and if you don't
have thyme on hand,

other woody herbs
will work great,

like marjoram or oregano.

So, now I've got
basically everything ready.

All I need to do
is heat up my pan,

and I've got a 12-inch
nonstick skillet here.

You don't have to use
a nonstick skillet.

You can use
a carbon-steel skillet,

but you want to make sure
that it's really well-seasoned

because it's super important

that the fish does not
stick to the pan.

I'm going to add a tablespoon
of vegetable oil.

We're gonna heat this
over medium-high heat

until the oil just
starts to smoke.

So, while this is heating,
I'm gonna go ahead

and bring my fish back up here.

Just a couple more things to do.

I want to pat these filets dry
with paper towels

just to ensure

that we get some really
beautiful color and crust

on the exterior of our fish.

I'll do that to both sides here,

and then I'm gonna hit them
with salt and pepper.

But before I do,
I want to show you --

You see this coloring here?

This is where the skin
was attached to the fish,

so I'm gonna call this
the skinned side.

We're gonna use this side

to create a beautiful crust
on our fish.

The side is flatter.

It's a little bit hardier
than this interior side.

So, I'm just going to
season the fish here.

I've already pre-mixed
my salt and pepper.

I have 1/2 teaspoon
of kosher salt

mixed with 1/8 of a teaspoon
of ground black pepper.

It's a good idea
to mix them ahead

so that you don't have
to fiddle around

with a salt box or a pepper mill

after you've been handling fish.

So I'll flip these over.

And all I have to do now

is wait on that pan and the oil.

Alright. The oil's just
starting to smoke.

I'm gonna turn the heat
down to medium.

Let me give this
a nice little swirl.

And now I'm going to put
the fish into the pan

skinned side down.

[ Sizzling ]
Alright.

That is a good sizzle.

Take a spatula

and just press on the fish

for about five seconds,

because I want it to be nice
and flat underneath there,

where it touches the pan.

And that ensures that we get

a really pretty crust
all the way across.

Alright.
So five seconds.

I'm gonna start my timer

because we're gonna let this
go over medium heat

for between 4 and 5 minutes.

And during that time,
there's gonna be

some really lovely color

on the underside there.

Now, I also turned
the heat down to medium.

We wanted to give that
initial blast of heat over high

from a preheated pan
and that preheated oil.

But then we're turning it
down to medium

just so that the fish
doesn't cook too quickly.

♪♪

Alright.

Let's check and see what's
going on underneath the fish.

Now, I am using
two spatulas here.

Using a nonstick spatula
to get under the fish.

You see that beautiful
gold color there?

This metal spatula
is not touching the skillet.

So, I don't have to worry

about using this metal one
on nonstick.

So, I'm gonna let this cook

for another minute
on the second side

just to let it
firm up a little bit.

So it's been a minute.

Now I'm going to add the butter.

Just scatter it around the pan.

We're gonna see that
it's gonna start to melt,

and all the solids
in the butter,

the milk solids,
are gonna start to brown

and form a beautiful sauce.

So as soon as that butter
is melted --

[ Chuckling ]
Oh, oh, oh, oh!

This is where butter-basting
comes into play.

I'm gonna tilt the skillet
down toward me,

let this butter pool,

and I'm gonna take a spoon

and just put it over the fish
for about 15 seconds.

Oh, gorgeous.

So, I'm gonna put it flat
on the surface now,

right back on the burner,
and cook it another 30 seconds.

So, this is the method --

15 seconds tilted,

30 seconds on the fire.

And that's so that
we're moderating the heat

and allowing the fish
to stay in the pan

and get butter basted
as long as possible.

Alright.
I'm gonna tilt again.

You can take your time
doing this.

Now, I'm not scratching
the bottom of my skillet

with my metal spoon.

I am using a spoon that
has a nice deep bowl.

That's perfect.

Alright.
Another 30 seconds.

I've got a timer going
that's counting up, too,

so that makes it easy
for me to know

if it's been 15 seconds
or 30 seconds.

So, at this point,
I want to start taking the temp.

Temp is always more important
than the cooking time.

And I'm looking
for a temperature at this point

of 130 degrees
in the thickest part.

Right there.

So now I'm going to add

the thyme sprigs and the garlic

to the top of the pan.

It's gonna splatter
a little bit.

That's alright.

Run some of that butter
up there,

and I'm going to continue
to butter baste.

So now -- ahh! --

this aroma that's coming
through here.

15 seconds.

Absolutely gorgeous.

And then as the butter races
to the top of the pan,

it starts to pick up the flavors

of the thyme and the garlic.

So, 30 seconds on the burner,

15 seconds of basting.

Now, the total cooking time is

right around 8 to 10 minutes.

But again, always more important

to look
at the internal temperature

than the cooking time.

Speaking of, these are ready
to take out of the pan here.

You want to get these out
of the pan really quick.

So I'm gonna use
my two spatulas.

You can drizzle a little bit
of that butter over the top,

if you like.

I think it's really pretty

to put sprigs onto the plate,

just like that.

A fresh squeeze of lemon

really is all that
these need at the end.

I do cook this a lot,

so I know what I'm getting.

But I wish you were here
because the flavors are amazing.

And that fish is still
so plump and juicy.

It's because
it's not overcooked,

and this gorgeous color
on the top,

not only from browning it
in the skillet,

but from that browned butter,

gives it a real nutty flavor,
too.

Mmm!

And I just pick up hints

of the garlic and the thyme.

Just enough.

It really is a game changer,

and it's a foolproof way
to cook fish at home,

and it looks spectacular.

And I know that you're gonna
want to make it at home.

So just remember these keys --

Start with a 6 ounce filet

that measures about
an inch thick,

alternate between
basting and cooking,

and then always
pay more attention

to the internal temperature
than the cooking time.

So from "America's Test Kitchen"
at home,

restaurant worthy

and you can do it,

butter-basted fish filets
with garlic and thyme.

♪♪

-Frozen fish might just be
the freshest, smartest option.

Now, when I say frozen fish,

I'm not thinking fish sticks,
like from my childhood.

I'm thinking uncooked seafood

that you buy frozen
and then defrost at home.

Let me explain.

With the exception
of any locally-caught fish,

almost all of the seafood that
we buy is frozen on the ship.

And so my point is,
rather than allowing

someone else to thaw it
on their timetable,

why don't you buy it
frozen yourself

and thaw it when you need it?

So, there are some things
to keep in mind.

First off,
I want you buying fish

that you can see.

So, this bag has
a nice, clear window

that allows me to see inside
that there is no freezer burn.

I've got tilapia here.

This is actually vacuum packed,

so it's really
in very nice shape.

And freezer burn is a sign

that somebody wasn't
nice to the fish

at some point or other

and let it get too warm
and then it chilled down again.

And freezer burn
is really the liquid

that came out of the fish
and then refroze.

So the problem with that is,

it's going to be really dry
when you cook it

because the fish
has been damaged

during its freezing time.

So always, always look
for a clear window

so you can see what's going on
inside the package.

The second thing
I want you to remember is

the thinner fish are
gonna freeze better.

So I've got tilapia here.

Flounder --
That's another good choice.

Sole, even salmon can be okay,

but really thick swordfish
and tuna, not so much,

and honestly,
it's because those thick fish

just don't withstand
the freezing process very well.

Make sure you see the window
and choose thinner fish.

Now, in terms of defrosting,
there are two options --

the plan-ahead option,

which is take out
exactly what you need.

Let's say you need
three pieces of tilapia,

put them in the fridge
the night before

or even that morning.

This is very thin.

It's gonna defrost
pretty quickly.

If you don't plan ahead,

you can just put these right
into a bowl of cold water,

run the tap over it 20,
maybe 30 minutes.

It'll be defrosted, ready to go.

Don't do this in the microwave

because it's gonna lose
a lot of its moisture.

So, please, don't ever defrost
your seafood in the microwave.

Now, in terms of the world
of shellfish,

four good options.

Shrimp, lobster tails --

that's always a good option --

octopus, and squid.

Now, you're gonna be
mostly buying shrimp.

Two things I want you
to be thinking about.

One is IQF.

So, individually quick frozen.

See, those are nice and frozen.

And the reason why you want this
rather than a big block

is you can take out
as many as you want.

You can cook 4, 8, 12 shrimp,
whatever it is that you need.

If you buy a big block, you've
got to defrost the whole block,

and then you've got to cook it.

Second thing is,
I want you to make sure

you buy it with the shell on.

I know easy peel
sounds so convenient,

but they've beaten up the shrimp
to remove the shell,

and that's not going to make
a really good product.

It's gonna end up
cooking up dry.

Last thing is,
I want you reading.

You may need to put
on your glasses.

I'm gonna bend down low

and reading the ingredient list,

this one says shrimp.

That's a good thing.

If it says salt,
that's neither here nor there.

It doesn't really need it,
but doesn't hurt.

What you want to make sure

is you don't see
sodium tripolyphosphate.

It's added to shrimp sometimes
to prevent it from darkening,

but it gives it a really
sort of off flavor,

and we don't like that
in the test kitchen,

I don't like it in my house,

and I don't think you're gonna

like it in your house.

So frozen fish, frozen shrimp,

not only high-quality options,

they're really convenient
because they're in your freezer,

ready to cook
when you need them.

♪♪

-There are so many different
kinds of spatulas --

metal spatulas,
nonstick-safe spatulas,

compact spatulas,
offset turners.

I'm not even gonna mention
rubber or silicone spatulas

that we use for jobs
like mixing cake batters.

Do you really need them all?

That's a tough question
because it kind of depends

on what you're cooking
and on what cookware.

For everything
but nonstick cookware,

our favorite metal spatula
from Wusthof comes closest

to an all-purpose spatula.

Now, by design,
this is a fish spatula

for lifting up delicate filets,

but it's so much more.

This wide head has
a super sharp front edge,

and it's slightly turned up
at the front.

And that means it can slip
under anything.

It's really agile,

but it's also strong enough
to scrape, lift, and flip

just about any type of food
with ease.

It puts you in total control.

But if you're using
nonstick cookware

and you don't want
to scratch it,

it's hard to beat this one.

It's the Matfer Bourgeat
fish spatula.

It's a gentler version
of the Wusthof.

Now, I personally adore
and own two copies of this one,

which is the Oxo cookie spatula.

And don't let the name fool you

because this thing
works for everything --

cooking and baking.

This little, short handle

gives you great
leverage and control,

and this small,
firm, but flexible head

with one curved side,

it's really great for scraping
around a pan or a bowl.

It makes great scrambled eggs.

It slips in between and under
burgers and fish

and, of course, cookies.

And finally, for feeling like
an expert short order cook,

this turner by Dexter Russell

beat all the contenders
in its category.

It's got a super roomy head

with a very slim front edge

and a neatly offset handle.

So, which spat rules them all?

I say you can't go wrong

with any of these
"Test Kitchen" winners.

♪♪

-I love making succotash,

and what I love even more

is going to the farmer's market
to shop for the ingredients.

And while this dish
has been known

to be associated
with Southern cuisine,

it actually has
a firm-rooted history

in Iroquois villages

and other indigenous
communities.

This is also known
as the Three Sisters.

It's because the beans,

the corn, and the squash

literally support each other

as they grow up
out of the ground.

How amazing is that?

I also love it
because it reminds me

of my favorite three sisters --

my grandmother
and her two younger sisters,

who actually taught me quite
a few variations of this dish.

Today, I'm gonna show you
a "Test Kitchen" version

using red bell peppers
instead of squash.

We're gonna start
with four ears of corn.

So this is a trick
I learned in culinary school.

This is how you cut the corn
from the cob.

You put a small bowl
inside of a bigger bowl.

You've created a dam.

It also keeps you from hitting
your knife on the bowl

and saving your blade.

So, for this recipe,
you don't want to cheat

by using frozen corn
or canned corn.

Use fresh corn.

It's gonna give you
the best-tasting succotash.

Alright.
We're all set.

Now, we're gonna cut
our red pepper.

We only need half.

So, I've cut out the core

and removed all the seeds
from the red pepper.

Slice the pepper
into 1/4-inch sticks.

And now I'm just going
to cut it crosswise

into 1/4-inch squares.

And I'm just gonna do the same
with the other side of it.

Now it's time
to rinse our beans.

I have here
a mesh strainer over a bowl.

We're actually reserving
the bean liquid

because we're gonna add it
to the succotash

for a silky smooth texture
without altering the flavor.

Alright. So, I'm gonna
set this on the plate,

and I'm gonna measure out

2 tablespoons
of the bean liquid.

So, now we're gonna rinse these
butter beans under cold water

and then we're going
to start cooking.

♪♪

Okay. So, I have a 12-inch
nonstick skillet here,

and I'm melting
3 tablespoons of butter,

and we're almost ready
to start cooking,

soon as the butter's melted.

Butter's always a great start.

Alright.
So I'm gonna add one onion,

finely diced,

and our half of red bell pepper

that we diced 1/4 of an inch.

I'm also gonna add a teaspoon
of kosher salt.

I'm just gonna let it cook
for four to five minutes.

You have to stir it frequently

until it's lightly browned.

Alright.
Our onions are looking brown.

Now I'm gonna add two cloves
of garlic, pressed.

We're adding the garlic now

because if we add it too soon,
it'll burn.

And I'm also gonna add
a pinch of cayenne pepper,

and I'm just gonna cook it all
for another 30 seconds

until it's fragrant.

Alright.
It's been 30 seconds.

The garlic
and the cayenne pepper

are doing their thing.

I'm just gonna turn
the heat down to medium,

and I'm gonna add
the butter beans.

Okay. So, now I'm gonna add
our beautiful fresh corn.

This is four cobs of corn

or three cups.

This smells so amazing

for it to just be some
very simple ingredients.

Fresh corn, red peppers,

onion, garlic, and cayenne

and butter beans --

my favorite --
it's outstanding.

Alright.
I have everything in the pan.

I'm just gonna let this cook
for about four minutes,

stirring frequently.

♪♪

-Today, I want to talk
about my tank.

It's a very good tank.

It's filled
with 20 pounds of CO2,

and I use it to carbonate

everything
I can get my hands on.

And I want to show you why
you should do the same thing.

One of my absolute favorite
things to do

with this CO2 tank is
make carbonated cocktails.

So, I want to make one of
my favorites for you right now,

and that is a spritz.

So, I'm gonna start
with 6 ounces of rosé.

This is nice and cold.

You want to work
with all cold ingredients

for the bubbliest beverage.

Next up, I'm gonna add
4 ounces of an aperitivo.

It's gonna add
a lot of sweetness

and some bitterness.

And finally, some ice water.

We want it really, really cold.

So I've got some
ice cubes in there,

and I'm gonna go with
2 ounces of this.

Great. Okay.

So, now this is going
into a soda bottle

that is now empty and cleaned,

and this is gonna be
the perfect vessel for this.

So we're just pouring
our cocktail mix.

Beautiful.

So, now the key
to carbonating this beverage

is keeping all the liquid
really cold

and getting rid of all
the other air that's in there,

'cause none of that air in there
is helping us get bubbles.

So, we're actually gonna
squeeze it as much as we can

to get that liquid right
to the top -- It's okay.

So I have this
carbonation cap here.

So this is gonna screw on.

It just goes right onto
the threads of the bottle.

Just like that.

And then over here,

I've got my CO2 tank,

and I've got that set
at about 42 PSI right now.

I've got a tube connecting it
to a ball-lock connector,

and this guy fits onto this.

So we just snap it on.

And as soon as we do,
you can see that it explodes.

It's totally, totally safe.

It's not that much pressure.

And these bottles are designed
to handle that.

But as soon as that pops on,
you can see it fill up

and then I'm shaking it,

and the reason I'm shaking it
is I want that CO2

to contact as much of the liquid
as possible,

really increase
that surface area,

because that's how it
will dissolve into the liquid.

Great. So do that.
We'll take this off.

Now, at this point, this is a
relatively carbonated beverage,

but I really like
pins and needles,

almost, like,
painful carbonation.

And that's what we're going for.

So vent this off and allow
anything that's in there

that isn't awesome,
perfect CO2 to come out,

and you'll see that
it'll kind of force its way up.

Now, there's some foaming agents
in the aperitivo,

so you've got to go
a little slowly,

as you would with a beer
that got shaken up

or anything like that.

Just let that come up.

Great.

Okay. So we're gonna
repeat the same thing,

where I squeeze this

and get the liquid up
as high as possible.

Now, this is all CO2 right here,

so I'm just pressing everything
else out that is not CO2.

Now I'm gonna do it again.

That nice pop.

Shake, shake, shake.

We'll let this sit for a second.

Alright.
While that's doing that,

I'm gonna get a little bit
of ice in my glass.

And I like to just pour it
right down the side.

That's gonna keep more
of the bubbles in the drink

as opposed to having them
blow off into the air.

Oh, look at that

creamy, beautiful,
super bubbly carbonation.

That looks so awesome.

So I picked up this technique

and how to do all this
with cocktails

from Dave Arnold, who's this
insane cocktail genius.

So cheers to him.
Cheers to all of you at home.

Let's have a sip.

Mmm.

That is perfect.

♪♪

-Okay.
We have two last ingredients.

We have 2 teaspoons of
lemon juice for brightness,

and finally, we have the liquid

from the butter beans
that we reserved.

This is gonna add
that silky smooth texture.

Alright. So, I'm just gonna
let that cook for a minute,

and then get it
over to the table.

I'm just gonna finish off
with a little parsley.

Give it a good stir.

That looks so summery
and delicious.

It's always worth the trip
to the farmer's market.

I'm gonna give it a taste

because I do not serve food
without seasoning.

Wow, that's good.

I'm gonna add a little
salt and pepper, though.

Perfect. I think I'm gonna
serve myself a little helping.

This is a guilt-free meal.

You can have as much of this
as you like.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Here we go.

That's so crunchy,
bright, and delicious.

I'm so glad that I didn't cheat

and use frozen or canned corn.

This fresh corn off the cob

gives it a nice crunch.

All the flavors go
so well together.

I can see why it's called
the Three Sisters.

They just belong together.

If you want to make
this amazing succotash,

first, you have to use
fresh corn on the cob.

Second, you have to reserve

a little bit of liquid
from your butter beans.

So from "America's Test Kitchen"
at home,

a summery succotash made

with butter beans,
corn, and red pepper.

-Thanks for watching.

You can get all the recipes
and product reviews