Plated Boot Ranch Blackened Redfish; Chef Casey dices shallots, adds the redfish fillets to the skillet, and tops with olive oil.
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SAVOR
Boot Ranch Blackened Redfish
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) 4 fresh Texas redfish fillets (6 oz. each) Blackening seasoning (Paul Prudhomme or your favorite) 8 heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved 4 ears fire-roasted corn 2 shallots, diced ¾ cup diced andouille sausage 4 handfuls fresh spinach 1 Tbsp chopped garlic 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp grapeseed or vegetable oil 1 stick butter Coarse kosher salt Cracked pepper Pico de Gallo: 8 Roma tomatoes, diced ½ red onion, diced ½ jalapeño pepper, diced 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp kosher salt Juice of 2 limes
Remember that old cowboy song, “Don’t Fence Me In”? That’s the attitude Boot Ranch executive chef Casey McQueen brings to cooking. He doesn’t like to get fenced in by any one cuisine. His blackened redfish is a case in point. Yes, it’s a Cajun classic. But McQueen gives it a Mexican twist by topping it with pico de gallo. The result is one of the most popular dishes on the Boot Ranch menu. Here’s how you can make it at home.
1. Add the Roma tomatoes, diced onion, and jalapeño to a small mixing bowl. Introduce the lime juice, salt, sugar, and cilantro. Mix thoroughly and set aside. 2. Using a medium-sized pan, sauté diced andouille in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until sausage begins to color. Add shallots and garlic. Stir for 2 minutes. Add fresh corn, halved cherry tomatoes, and fresh thyme to pan. When the tomatoes begin to blister, add spinach and a pat of butter. Fold ingredients together and season to taste. 3. Meanwhile, lightly salt the redfish fillets and liberally apply blackening seasoning. In a heavy skillet over medium high heat, bring remaining olive oil and grapeseed or vegetable oil to a light smoke and introduce the fillets. Cook for 2 minutes. Add a pat of butter, flip fish, and cook another 2 minutes. 4. Spoon andouille sauté evenly onto four plates. Top each with blackened fillet and finish with your fresh pico de gallo.
Casey McQueen Executive Chef, Boot Ranch
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Bartender Morgan McBee prepares a simply perfect cocktail.
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SAVOR
Boot Ranch Old Fashioned
2 oz. Milam & Greene Triple Cask Bourbon ¼–½ oz. simple syrup (depending on sweetness preference) 2–3 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
Boot Ranch mixologist Ben Frazier’s personal preference is simple, straightforward cocktails, unencumbered by a barrage of flavors. You can’t get much simpler than his Old Fashioned. It has just three ingredients: bourbon, bitters, and simple syrup, which is nothing more than granulated sugar dissolved in an equal measure of heated water, then cooled. For the bourbon, Ben chose Milam & Greene, which is produced by a Blanco distillery led by two women, founder Marsha Milam and CEO Heather Greene. It’s not as overbearing as some other bourbons and doesn’t burn the tongue as much, he says. He uses Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters because he likes its hint of cinnamon. At Boot Ranch, the cocktail is served over a large, crystal-clear ice cube emblazoned with the club’s boot logo. You may have to settle for an ordinary, cloudy, and unadorned cube if you make the drink at home. But don’t worry; Ben says it will taste almost as good.
1. Pour the ingredients into an empty shaker. Fill with ice and stir with a bar spoon 10 to 15 times. 2. Strain and pour over a large ice cube in a lowball glass. Garnish with an orange peel. Lemon zest the outside of the glass rim. Enjoy.
Ben Frazier Mixologist, Boot Ranch
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