Pacific Rockfish with White Bean, Arugula, and Piquillo Salad

Pacific Rockfish is the fish that we eat most commonly, being widely available and relatively inexpensive. I use the term Pacific to distinguish it from what folks on the East Coast call Rockfish, the common named for the king of all American eating fish, the Striped Bass. Pacific Rockfish is not a species of rockfish but a placeholder for any fish of the genus Sebastes from our local waters; the State of Oregon lists 43 distinct species of Sebastes on its web site, from Aurora to Yellowtail. All the commercially fished ones are lumped under the label Rockfish at the market. As far as I can tell, there is precious little difference among them in terms of flavor and cooking.

We're kind of in a rut with our rockfish, mainly eating it in tacos, probably because we eat it so often, but also because as a small fish, it doesn't really lend itself to a lot of applications. Partly in response to the rut and partly in response to a couple of rare days of sunny January weather, I decided to do something different with it last week, given that I was able to purchase some decent 6-ounce filets (large as they typically go).

It's no surprise to anyone who has ever cooked with me that one of my go-to spices is Pimentón de la Vera, real Spanish smoked paprika. It has a haunting smokiness that when used sparingly complements a lot of dishes (but, inexperienced cooks beware, when overused becomes bitter, acrid, and overwhelming). I thought to roast the rockfish filets with a coating of pimentón garlic oil to add a hint of both flavors to the delicate fish without overwhelming it.

And because the weather was sunny for a change, I made a salad of cannellini, arugula, and sliced piquillo peppers to serve the fish on. The salad was dressed with a bit of salt and lemon juice.

Pacific Rockfish with White Bean, Arugula, and Piquillo Salad

Pimentón Garlic Oil

To make the pimentón- and garlic-flavored oil, heat a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over a medium flame with three minced cloves of garlic and cook until the garlic just starts to color. Turn off the flame and stir in a tiny amount of pimentón. I used what fit on the tip of my knife blade, perhaps a quarter of a teaspoon. Cooking pimentón in hot oil is to risk burning it, so add it dead last off the heat. And because it is so assertive, less is more.