Fresh seafood on your mind? This recipe comes straight from two-time James Beard semi-finalist restaurant The Larder + The Delta.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked Anson Mills Carolina Gold rice

1/4 cup cooked sea island field peas or your favorite black eye peas, cooking water reserved

1 tablespoon trinity (recipe below)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

(2) 6 oz kanpachi tails, scaled and rinsed under cold water

Canola oil

Olive oil 

Directions:

Prepare a grill for medium heat. 

While you’re waiting for the grill to heat, heat a cast iron pan on medium heat for five minutes. Add a thin layer of canola oil and then cooked rice to the pan. Let sit untouched for one to two minutes, then lower heat to medium-low and season the top of the rice with black pepper, being careful not to disturb the pan — you want the rice to crisp on the bottom but not burn.

Working in a separate pan over medium low heat, add a thin layer of olive oil, then add trinity and sweat for one minute. Add cooked peas and two ounces of the cooking liquid.

While rice and peas are heating, place kanpachi tail on cutting board and make two crossmarks on each side of the fish with a sharp knife to ensure even cooking. Season fish with salt and white pepper and place on grill, being careful not to burn or char the fish. You want an even cook and for the fish to be perfectly crisp and golden brown. Rotate/flip fish tail to ensure even cooking on all sides. 

Once the rice is golden brown and crispy, combine with the peas, toss to mix together and set aside.

Plate fish tail over or alongside Carolina Gold rice with and red eye gravy on the side. Pour gravy over fish just before digging in. 

Holy Trinity (Yield: one cup)

4 celery stalks (cut into a very small dice)

1 yellow onion (cut into a very small dice)

2  green bell peppers (cut into a very small dice)

6 cloves of garlic (minced into paste)

1 jalapeno (seeded, cut into very small dice)

Directions: 

Combine ingredients together in bowl and use as needed.

Red Eye Gravy

1 cup brewed coffee

2-3 oz diced country ham scraps or bacon ends

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 oz chilled unsalted butter, cubed

Directions: 

Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat and add the country ham scraps or bacon until a hard sear appears and the meat is well caramelized. Turn the heat down to low and add coffee all at once, turn heat back to medium-high, add black pepper and cayenne and reduce gravy to a glaze. Mount the chilled butter into gravy then strain through a chinois.

Visit The Larder and The Delta at their location in Phoenix.

Want more inspiration? Find Green Living’s recipes in our Savor section.