Sabina Duran’s whole fried Monterey Bay rockfish dinner

To those in the Monterey Bay seafood industry, Sabina Duran is a legend. She’s been called the fastest fish cutter in the Monterey Bay and a “superstar” by an industry insider. The mother of five with five grandkids often forgoes filleting altogether when creating this family favorite: whole fried rockfish.

Sabina was kind enough to share her recipe with the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust. She also includes the recipes for her favorite sides and sauce to accompany the dish: Spanish rice, chopped salad and fresh pico de gallo (chunky salsa).

Whole Fried Chilipepper Rockfish

1-2 pound Chilipepper rockfish (although any similar sized rockfish will do)
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
16 ounces of any neutral-flavored vegetable oil

Purchase a fresh-caught Monterey Bay rockfish. Sabina’s favorite is Chilipepper, but any similar sized rockfish will do. Scale the fish and clean by making an incision on the underside of the fish from the anus to the head, then remove internal organs and cut out the gills. Rinse the inside and outside of the fish in cold, clean water then pat dry with a paper towel.

Chop or crush two cloves of garlic, squeeze the juice of one lemon, put half a cup of all-purpose flour in a dish large enough to fit the rockfish, and set aside. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat to 375 degrees.

Make three to four vertical cuts, depending on size, into the flesh of both sides of the fish. Be sure to cut deep into the flesh but not all the way through to the rib cage. Rub the garlic and lemon juice into the incisions and add salt and pepper to taste.

Dredge both sides of the fish into the flour, shake off excess, then carefully place into hot oil. Cook for five minutes then turn onto the opposite side and cook for another five minutes or until crispy and cooked through. Remove and place on top of paper towels or newsprint to absorb excess oil.

Serve with Spanish rice, chopped salad and pico de gallo. Each fish will feed one to two people.

Spanish Rice

1 cup long-grain rice
3 roma tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 yellow onion
1 tablespoon chicken bullion powder
1/4 cup Olive Oil

Make a sofrito by coarsely chopping roma tomatoes, garlic and onion, then adding them to a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture has become a coarse paste, don’t be afraid to add a small amount of olive oil at this time for viscosity. Remove from the blender and set aside.

Pour olive oil into a medium saucepan and heat on medium high, be careful not to let the oil reach its smoke point. Add rice to hot oil and mix so that each grain of rice is coated in oil. Reduce heat to medium and dry roast the rice for up to 10 minutes stirring the rice to prevent burning.

Add the sofrito to the dry roasted rice and mix. Add chicken bouillon powder and mix again. Then add 16 ounces of water, mix, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Chopped Salad

1 head of romaine lettuce
1/2 purple onion
1 cucumber
1 teaspoon chili powder
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chop one head of romaine lettuce, given the Salinas Valley is the salad bowl of the United States it will almost certainly be local. Thinly slice the halved purple onion. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise then thinly slice. Add chili powder, lemon juice and olive oil, then toss. Sabina likes to keep ranch dressing on hand for those who want to add creaminess to the salad.

Pico de Gallo

1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
4-6 serrano peppers (Sabina likes it spicy)
Juice of one lemon

Finely chop one bunch of cilantro. Dice tomatoes, onion and serrano peppers — not too fine, but not too large, with chunks no small than a quarter inch and no larger than a half an inch. Mix the cilantro and vegetables, adding lemon juice. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Many recipes call for lime in pico de gallo, but Sabina prefers lemon. She also prefers fresh pico de gallo, saying the tomatoes get too soggy when prepared the night before. This recipe is also very spicy, reduce the number of serrano peppers or switch to the milder jalepeño to suit your taste.