Gingered Fish on Spiced Macadamia Butter

• Makes 6 servings
• Six 5- to 7-ounce (180- to 210-g) white sh llets, such as lingcod, sea robin, or flounder, with skin on

INGREDIENTS:

• FOR THE MACADAMIA BUTTER:
  • ¾ cup (105 g) macadamia nuts, toasted
  • One ¼-inch (.6-cm) coin fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • One 1-inch (2.5-cm) piece fresh chile, seeds removed if desired
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Generous ¼ teaspoon ne sea salt
• TO COOK THE FISH:
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • One 1½-inch (4-cm) piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, cut into 18 paper-thin slices
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
  • 18 fresh cilantro leaves
  • Fleur de sel

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse the fillets and pat them dry. Check them for bones and remove any you find. Refrigerate until just before cooking.
2. To make the macadamia butter, place the nuts in a food processor and pulse until they are quite finely chopped. Add the ginger, chile, and lime zest and process until all the ingredients are finely chopped and the nuts begin to form a paste. Add the lime juice and salt and continue processing until you have a buttery paste. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and reserve.
3. To cook the fish, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot but not smoking, add the fillets, skin side down. Place three rounds of ginger atop each fillet, evenly spaced. Lightly season each fillet with salt and white pepper. Cover the fillets and cook until they are opaque through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and uncover it. Let the fillets sit in the pan while you finish preparing the plates.
4. While the fish is cooking, form a generous teaspoon of the macadamia butter into a rough pyramid. Set aside and repeat five times. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the remaining macadamia butter in the center of each of six warmed dinner plates, roughly spreading it out the same size as the fillet.
5. To serve, remove and reserve the three slices of ginger atop each fillet. Lay a fillet atop the macadamia nut butter spread on the plate, skin side up. Place a pyramid of the macadamia nut butter next to the fillet and arrange three of the cooked ginger slices next to the fillet, overlapping them slightly. Their edges will be curled, and they will look like a flower set next to the fish. Arrange three cilantro leaves on each plate so they look attractive. Season the fish lightly with fleur de sel. Repeat with all of the plates and serve immediately.

Note: I prefer a lean white fish to contrast with the macadamia nut butter, but salmon or swordfish works too. Make this as spicy as you like by leaving in or removing the chile seeds. I recommend using a miniature food processor to make the sauce.