Recipe: Broiled Fish and Pope's Tartar Sauce

BROILED FISH AND POPE'S TARTAR SAUCE
"Black drum fillets are excellent for broiling. Swordfish, shark, tuna, and other big Gulf fish are good for broiling too, either as fillets or as bone-in steaks."



Juice of 2 limes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup seafood seasoning
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds fish fillets or steaks
Pope's Tartar Sauce (for serving, recipe follows)

In a good-size shallow bowl, stir together the lime juice, garlic, seasoning mix, and oil. Add the fish and turn to coat evenly on both sides. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the broiler.

Transfer the fish to a broiler pan, place under the broiler, and broil, turning once. Plan on 5 minutes per side for a 1-inch-thick fillet or steak and 2 1/2 minutes per side for a 1/2-inch-thick fillet or steak.

Serve at once with the tartar sauce.

POPE'S TARTAR SAUCE
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 cups mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or as needed

In a bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir the mayonnaise until creamy. Fold in the garlic, green onions, relish, and olives. Thin with the lemon juice as needed. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

RECIPE NOTES:
"The original "tartare" sauce was invented in France in the mid-1800s and was served with steak tartare. In the 1950s, elaborate French-style tartar sauces (minus the e) were made famous in the United States by Antoinette Pope, who hosted one of the country's first television cooking shows, Creative Cookery, from 1951 to 1964. By this time the French had stopped serving the sauce with steak tartare, but Pope repurposed it by pairing it with seafood.

A French woman, Blanche Wright, was the original head cook at the King's Inn on Loyola Beach, though in those days it was still called Orlando's Cafe. I suspect she served a Gallic tartar sauce like the one Pope made famous in the 1950s. When Cottle Ware came along, he probably started doctoring up the French sauce with the obligatory Texas addition of hot chiles. But I'm just guessing."

Makes 4 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Ten Speed Press
Source: Texas Eats by Robb Walsh