Pan Seared Whole Branzino with Ladolemono Sauce

This is a very easy, healthy, and quick dish to go along with any main. We blanch the asparagus and serve it room temperature so it can be prepped ahead and ready to serve when you have your other dishes ready quite easily.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of asparagus
• 4 oz feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds

Dressing

• 2 oil packed anchovy filets
• Zest and Juice from 1 lemon
• 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic grated
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large D3 Stainless Steel 8 qt stockpot bring 6 qts of water to a rolling boil. Season the water with enough salt to taste like the sea. Have a large mixing bowl filled with ice water ready. Drop the asparagus in the boiling water in two batches. Cook for one minute, remove with a slotted spoon and immediately place in the ice water to cool completely.
2. Once cooled, dry the asparagus with paper towels and place flat on a plate. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
3. Make the dressing: Add all of the ingredients to the dressing except for the oil in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine completely. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture to create an emulsified dressing. Toss the asparagus in the dressing. Serve with crumbled feta and pomegranate seeds over the top.

Pro Tip

To create that brilliant green color in blanching, make sure to keep the cooking of the green such as asparagus to 1 minute max sometimes even less. As soon as it is done it needs to go right into the ice. Cool it completely before removing.

RECIPE BY

All-Clad Resident Chef Derek Finocchiaro

All-Clad’s Resident Chef Derek has been working with flavors and fragrance for his entire career. Finding a path from perfumery to food, Derek competed on numerous amateur cooking shows which led him to the All-Clad Test kitchen. Here he excels in creating new recipes, blogs, video demos, and food photography for our consumers.