Luminaire & Las Bis Recipe

Prep fish

Pat the steelhead fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides with 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while you prepare other components.

Candy the lemons

In a small saucepan, combine the 2 thinly sliced lemons, 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook gently until the rind becomes translucent and the syrup reduces to a slightly thickened glaze, about 12–15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool in the syrup.

Char the leeks

Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until smoking slightly. Toss halved leeks with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place cut-side down in the hot pan and press gently. Cook until deeply charred (3–5 minutes), then flip and cook the rounded side 2–3 minutes until tender. Remove and slice on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces. Reserve.

Crisp the fish skin

In a clean skillet, heat 2 tbsp neutral oil over medium-high until shimmering. Place fillets skin-side down and press gently for 20 seconds to ensure even contact. Cook skin-side down undisturbed 4–6 minutes until skin is very crisp and the flesh is mostly opaque three-quarters of the way up. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more for medium doneness (cook longer if you prefer well-done). Transfer to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil.

Flavor the butter

In a small saucepan, melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter over medium. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden-brown and smell nutty — about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the smashed garlic clove and 4 thyme sprigs; let steep 2 minutes, then remove and discard garlic and thyme stems. Stir in the 2 tbsp rinsed capers.

Assemble bed of arugula

Toss 4 cups baby arugula with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a light drizzle of the brown butter (reserve most butter for fish). Divide onto four warm plates as a bed for the fish.

Plate fish

Place a steelhead fillet atop the arugula on each plate (skin-side up for presentation). Spoon 1–1 1/2 tbsp of the brown butter and caper mixture over each fillet, letting some pool on the arugula. Arrange 3–4 pieces of charred leek beside each fillet and top with 3–4 slices of candied lemon. Finish with flaky sea salt and a crack of black pepper to taste.

Make additional brown butter for the sauce: In a small skillet melt 4 tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat, cook until milk solids brown and butter has a nutty aroma (2–3 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp salt and up to 2 tbsp warm water to loosen if too viscous. Taste and adjust salt or lemon. Spoon a tablespoon of this sauce around each plated fillet for bright, buttery finishing flavor.